If Love Is War, I'm Your Soldier
by Its Already Written
Summary: It began with a brilliantly devised plan. Who knew it would turn Sousuke's world upside down? Rated T for language and content.
1. Kurtz's Master Plan

Kurtz leaned backed against the chair, smiling.

The place was pleasantly gaudy, with decorations reminiscent of most high-end French restaurants one could find in the United States. It was also one of the few French eateries in the area. Reservations were booked months in advance, but the surname Weber demanded a certain respect in this place. The mercenary had once saved the master chef's cat from becoming road kill. Though the rescue had been completely coincidental, Kurtz managed to grace the chef enough to be placed on the VIP, a list that included several celebrities, business moguls, star athletes, and government officials.

Kurtz thought for a moment. There was a particular trait about the chef that reminded him about something or someone.

He shrugged.

_'Oh well. It's not worth the trouble remembering…'_

It had been quite some time since Kurtz Weber last treated himself to some fine dining. God knows he couldn't live off of canned crab fried noodles or the mess hall food his entire life. He deserved to pamper himself occasionally, and while the two hundred dollar wine and three fifty entrée with dessert would set most people back several months, Mithril paid well enough to cover for the expenses.

Besides, considering his line of work, it was the least Mithril could do.

_'Life is good.'_

The Hong Kong mission had gone off without a hitch, thanks mainly to Sousuke's last moment appearance. After reviewing the bout, Mithril's upper brass decided to recall the TDD-1 as well as the M9s for systems and weapons upgrades. The Captain, Commander Markudas, and Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin were called to a confidential meeting on Merida Island. And while the TDD-1 was out of commission until certain repairs have been made, the entire Special Response Team was given two weeks off.

The blonde haired mercenary had no clue where the Sergeant Major had gone off to, but it was not from a lack of trying. He was still recovering from the injuries. And knowing that to follow said individual meant certain death, Kurtz decided to crash at his other teammate's place in Tokyo.

He frowned, thinking about his Sousuke's situation with a certain blue-haired ward.

_'That kid is too senseless for his own good. He doesn't know how good he has it. Oh yeah!'_

Then again, his teammate was Sousuke Sagara. Drop him off in a hot zone in Columbia with nothing but a combat knife, and he would probably make it to Mithril's quarters in Panama without a scratch. Give the man the ARX-7 Arbalest, and he could take out five Venom-class Arm Slaves with the Lambda Driver. But place him at the whim of a high school idol, not to mention the queen of all babes, and what happened?

Kurtz sighed.

_'He's even more clueless than most prepubescent middle school boys when it comes to women.' _

Really, all Sousuke needed was a fire underneath his ass, so to speak. Kurtz smiled. But that's where he, Kurtz Weber, the self-proclaimed ladies man, came in. Having witnessed time and again the pitfalls that his teammate had fallen in, the blonde mercenary finally decided to step in and take matters into his own hands.

"Sir?" The server presented the bottle of red wine. Kurtz nodded his approval. He was no wine connoisseur . But that did not matter. He had his eyes on the server, who was an attractive brunette in her mid-twenties.

"Thank you, pretty lady," drawled Kurtz, using the helplessly-flirtatious-foreigner-in-Japan approach. He winked playfully at the woman.

She blushed in embarrassment, but could not help but feel flattered by the blonde playboy. Tilting her head downward, the server unsuccessfully tried to hide her face with her hair. Kurtz smiled as the server left with his menu, clumsily bumping into another server as she made her way to the bar.

"See? **THAT'S **how its done!" The elderly couple sitting at the nearby table stared nervously at the foreigner. Kurtz was too deep in his reverie to notice. He thought for a moment. "The guy's got it good! He's got Tessa AND Kaname in a tizzy!" The blonde soldier cursed, shaking his fist angrily. "**ITS JUST NOT FAIR!**"

By now, the entire restaurant had taken notice of the foreigner's monologue. Realizing that fact now, Kurtz cleared his throat and sank lower in his chair.

But then it hit him.

_'It's so simple! Sousuke's never intentionally attracted a woman, much less drop-dead beauties like the Captain and Kaname.'_

Kurtz's eyes widened.

_'Of course! All Sousuke needs is some practice with __**NORMAL **__girls. And judging by the girls that went on the hot springs trip the last time Tessa attended Jindai Municipal High School, finding potential love interests for the clueless idiot is gonna be a walk in the park.'_

Remembering Sousuke's female classmates, Kurtz cursed aloud again. "**THAT LUCKY BASTARD**!"

"Sir, can you please refrain from your outbursts?" One of the restaurant's patrons, most likely of English nobility, was obviously offended by the young man's antics. "We are **TRYING **to enjoy our lunch."

Kurtz laughed sheepishly.

Before he could respond, the waiter arrived with his dish. "Monsieur, the Chicken Crepe Riviera?"

The steaming dish set before him smelled heavenly. The mixture of the red diced tomatoes and the green spotted broccoli blended together wonderfully. The pesto sauce was stirred at an even temperature, perfect conditions to set off the meal. The parsley and garlic added much flavor to the rotisserie chicken, which, judging by appearance, looked absolutely scrumptious.

"Bon appetit."

The waiter bowed and took his leave.

---

Kurtz placed his fork upon the table surface and sighed contently.

The entrée had greatly exceeded the young mercenary's expectations. The flavor, the temperature, everything about the meal was exceptional. The chef had to be a culinary whiz of some sort.

He motioned to the waiter, who hurried over immediately.

"I'd like to pay my compliments to the chef, in person," said Kurtz, who was in the process of finishing his piece of Sacher torte. The waiter nodded and retreated to the kitchen.

Moments later, a short, rotund man appeared before him. With some effort, Kurtz identified him as the master chef whose cat he had saved. Apparently, the man recognized Kurtz as well.

"Monsieur, at last we meet again!" The portly chef removed his toque and bowed deeply. Kurtz noticed the man was balding. The comb over did nothing to hide that fact.

Kurtz froze.

_'That man's voice! It can't be…yes, __**THAT'S **__what it was…'_

The balding chef's voice was nearly identical to that of Commander Markudas. The tone and pitch were near perfection for a match. However, compared to the stern Mithril Commander, the chef's voice was relatively soft and welcoming. The Commander's tone was one of impassion, crisp and precise; though impersonal, it was nevertheless effective for giving order in the Command Center and the hangar.

Slowly, a thought formulated in Kurtz's mind.

Noticing the brief lapse of attention, the chef spoke up with more authority.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to say, _mon ami_?" his voice was considerably more gruff. Kurtz snapped out of his thoughts in an instant. He almost stood at attention and saluted had he not realize at the last moment that the second in command would never end any sentence with '_mon ami_.'

"Sorry, partner. My original intention is to compliment the chef who prepared my meal. But now, since it is you, old friend, I have other matters to address. Can we talk outside?"

The chef raised his eyebrows at the strange request, but nevertheless motioned Kurtz to follow him out back. Hurriedly, the blonde soldier grabbed a pen and a blank order slip. He followed the chef across the kitchen and exited through the door in the back, which led to an alley.

The balding chef opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he saw the blonde scribbling something on the restaurant's order slip. He decided to remain silent.

A few minutes later, Kurtz handed the paper to the chef. He also pulled a voice recording device from his back pocket.

"I have a favor to ask you…"

---

The morning rays of sunlight penetrated the tiny cracks of the blinds. A sudden blur of motion on the apartment floor signified that Sousuke Sagara, membert of Mithril Special Response Team and student of Jindai Municipal High School, had awakened from his slumber. Sighing, he picked himself up from the floor and walked into the living room. He turned on the surveillance equipment and put on the earmuffs. The sound of running water reached his ears.

_'Miss Chidori is showering.' _

On that happy thought, Sousuke found himself perspiring heavily. Looking down, he froze as he noticed that a particular appendage had enlarged dramatically. He gulped nervously. It was bad enough that he had just gotten up, but also picturing an extremely attractive and desirable young woman showering in the buff?

Sousuke sighed.

Life was hard.

No pun intended.

But it was an undeniable truth. The blue-haired Whispered was physically appealing. Even Sousuke couldn't deny that.

_'But why do I get the feeling that my status with her hasn't gone up ever since the Gauron incident? It's already been three months…'_

Sousuke exhaled sharply, allowing his head to hang low.

Sousuke Sagara was not one to solicit unnecessary and emotionally heart-felt feelings from others. Despite the insistence of Sergeant Major Melissa Mao, the brunette Sergeant had always maintained professional and followed the textbook decorum regarding rank among his comrades in Mithril. Rarely did he ever address anyone by name, and if he had, it was under special circumstances. The first time Sousuke spoke to Captain Testarossa on a name-to-name conversation had been after the Hong Kong operation, and even then he had asked for permission to do so. That was the type of person he was. That was what the Mithril brass expected of him. And he followed that criteria with unyielding devotion.

He was the perfect soldier.

But it was also the reason why he had been ostracized by both his superiors and comrades.

An image of Commander Richard Markudas popped up in his mind. Sousuke shuddered involuntarily. While he did respect and trust the intentions of the former British Royal Navy captain, he had never once felt anything but coldness from the man. And while the younger man harbored no ill will towards the older officer, it could not be said that the same sentiments were reciprocated. Sousuke remembered the time when Captain Testarossa attended Jindai High with him, and how the Commander had threatened to tear him limb from limb if he were to commit an immoral act while the Captain was staying over at his apartment.

Sousuke frowned at the memory.

_'Why would Commander Markudas suspect anything of the sort? Was he questioning my character? Or my intentions?'_ He thought for a moment. _'Or he doesn't trust me as a human.'_

The notion struck a chord.

_'Maybe the Commander has a right to question my integrity. Not as a soldier, but as a person.'_

The thought saddened him.

It was common knowledge that his upbringing was nowhere within the realms of normality. Bouncing from one hot zone to another, he never had the time to develop certain skills of normal civilians. He had other matters to worry about, namely his own survival. It was no one's fault, really. Not even his. Even so, he felt like he was lacking an important tool. After all, a sniper rifle wouldn't be as effective without the scope.

The sound of a turning doorknob snapped Sousuke's train of thought. He then immediately grabbed his Glock 17, which he always kept on his person, and took cover where the intruder would have the least amount of visibility. Sliding downwards against the wall, he slowly switched the safety off on his pistol and peered over his left shoulder. When he heard the intruder approach, he jumped from his cover, pistol held at arm's length and trained on the torso of the enemy…

Which turned out to be Kurtz Weber, his fellow SRT member.

"Whoa! Hold your fire, soldier!" Kurtz shouted, exaggerating his surprise and terror to the other man's actions.

Sousuked sighed in relief. He lowered his gun.

"Kurtz, what are you doing here?"

The question was simple enough; however, Sousuke's voice carried a steely tone. He demanded a reasonable explanation. If he was satisfied with the answer, he would let the blonde soldier live. But that was only IF he was satisfied with the answer. Sousuke had specifically requested that both Sgt. Weber and Sgt. Major Mao continue with other missions and to let him deal with the mission involving Kaname Chidori.

Kurtz closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally for his upcoming performance.

"Sousuke." Kurtz had dropped his usual carefree attitude and donned a serious tone instead. He handed a miniature cassette to Sousuke. "This is from Da Daanan. Strictly confidential and for your ears only. After use, you are to destroy it completely and never relay the message to anyone, including Mithril, myself, or our big sister Melissa. And least of all to Kaname or Tessa."

Sousuke nodded. He began to move towards the audio equipments but stopped. Turning around, he grabbed Kurtz by the arm and shoved him into the bathroom. He stuck the top of a chair beneath the knob as to impede his teammate from escaping.

After taking the extra precautions, Sousuke went back to his task.

On the other side of the bathroom door, Kurtz was sitting on the toilet, with the seat and its cover down. He let out a yawn, and then chuckled.

"I wonder how the hero's going to react." He then pictured the terrified expression on Sousuke's face every time Markudas ripped him a new one. He laughed aloud.

After a few moments, Kurtz heard the sound of a shifting chair, followed by a knock. He opened the door and walked out.

The innumerable pieces of plastic and film served as the only evidence of the cassette's existence. Sousuke's Glock 17 lay next to the pile of broken plastic. Kurtz put two and two together and concluded that Sousuke had used the butt of the pistol to carry out the order.

Sousuke was sitting on his couch. His expression was unreadable. No. Conflicted was a better term.

"Kurtz." Sousuke looked up, with a hardened expression. He was perspiring lightly. "What are the details of your mission?"

The blonde looked back with a matching expression. Inwardly, though, he was trying his hardest not to grin or do anything to compromise his plan. "To offer aid to the head operative. I do not have A Need To Know, but I will assist you to my fullest capacity."

Sousuke nodded and sat silently. The sides of his mouth were twitching unwittingly, not unlike the time when he had tried to smile for his school ID picture. He gulped nervously. When he looked up again, he looked pleadingly at Kurtz.

"Please brief me on everything you know about women."

Inwardly, Kurtz Weber was hollering and celebrating. It had a taken nearly a year, but he was finally in!

He smiled.

_'And we're off to the races…'_


	2. The 'Training'

Sousuke pulled the sheets over his chest. He shifted to his side and turned to the left, staring out at the night sky.

A loud, continuous drone of snores came from the living room area.

Kurtz Weber was already fast asleep. Unfortunately, Sousuke did not share the same luck.

It was already midnight but for some reason the young soldier found himself unable to drift off into his slumber. It was very peculiar, since sleep came almost at command for the young Sergeant. It was not because of his teammate's loud snores either. While Sousuke was a light sleeper, he could always manage to tune out even the most extreme of external distractions, such as gunfire from the 120 mm smoothbore gun on the Abrams M1A1 tank and the like.

Today was Saturday. Well, technically, Sunday, considering both the minute and hour hand on the clock had already hit twelve. Kaname would be busy tomorrow with housekeeping, so Sousuke had the day off with his bodyguard assignment. And since the blue-haired ward had already notified him in advance that any attempts to approach her tomorrow were grounds for capital offense, the young Mithril operative knew better than to test his luck. After all, there would be hell to pay if he disobeyed a direct order.

Sousuke sighed heavily.

In the ten years on the battlefront, the young soldier conquered all those who opposed him, hurtled obstacles when even the most cunning and experienced war veterans would have stumbled, and remained poised and level-headed even on mission that had been completely compromised. In some senses, Sousuke Sagara was wise beyond his years, like a long time veteran of some war that has been forgotten by the passage of time.

However, he was also severely lacking in other areas.

Sousuke gulped nervously, thinking back on the tape. Of course, it would be impossible to hear the message again. The butt of the Glock 17 had rendered the cassette into insignificant scraps. Even so, he could not help but hear the ominous implications of the order playing over and over again in his mind.

_'…severe inadequacy in even the most basic __of civilian interactions.'_

He shifted in his bed, this time opting to lie on his back.

_'…this lack of enthusiasm for duty will not be tolerated…'_

He shut his eyes. Beads of sweat were now running down his face.

_'__In two weeks notice, Sergeant Kurtz Weber will return to base__, where he will give an in depth and critical review on your performance. As Sergeant Weber, Urz-6, is not aware of the order, any attempts to tip said operative will be viewed as a direct __act__ of disobedience.'_

Sousuke opened his eyes, wide. The finale had arrived. The actually mission.

_'In the two weeks that Sergeant Weber is setting up base in Tokyo, __he will be monitoring your daily interactions with civilians at one Jindai Municipal High School.__ During this period of time, you are to display your understanding of civilian life. While there is no set criteria to follow, interactions with the opposite gender, either romantic or platonic, __mostly the former, __is ex__pected.__ As some missions require the skill of infatuating the opposite gender, this exercise will be used to gauge your effectiveness as a soldier.__ Damages done to the school are to be kept at a minimum. __Know this, Sergeant: Your future with Mithril __h__angs in the balance. Failure to perform at a proficient level is grounds to termination of your contract.__ If that is the case, interference with the Whispered situation __will be regarded as a red flag to Mithril. You will be hunted down and executed without an afterthought.__'_

The image of a certain blue-haired high school girl immediately popped up in the young soldier's mind.

Shaking his head, Sousuke gripped his sheets, creating numerous creases as he balled up his fist. He did not want to dwell on that unhappy thought. Instead, his mind reverted back to the message.

_'You have but one option for the mission.__While __the __detail of your mission is__ strictly confidential, you may solicit __advice from Sergeant Weber__ only__. You are __**NOT**__, under __**ANY**__ circumstance__s__, to reveal the mission to Sergeant Major Mao.'_

Sousuke frowned. That part of the message did not make sense. If he were to encounter problems with the female population at Jindai, wouldn't it be more effective to approach the Sergeant Major with the issue rather than Kurtz? Then again, he knew better than to question a direct order.

But was Kurtz the right person to be asking? Somehow, Sousuke found that hard to believe. Judging by the blonde soldier's daily interactions with Sergeant Major Mao, the brunette operative could not help but look into the near future with trepidation. After all, he was already averaging four bruises a day, not to mention a sensitive area on top of his head that was created by half a year of Kaname's dealing blows with the dreaded halisen. What sort of punishment would be added on to the surmounting list of injuries if he were to heed Kurtz's advice? Concussions? Death? Amputation of a certain protruding member that only men possessed?

Kurtz was either a glutton for punishment, or he was just plain horrible at dealing with women. In any case, Sousuke would certainly not enjoy the masochistic lifestyle of his teammate.

Sousuke thought for a moment.

_'Then again… Kurtz __**HAS**__ had previous success with my classmates…'_

He was, of course, thinking back to the time when Sergeant Major Mao had given him the order to sleep in on Sunday and to allow Kurtz to guard Kaname for the day. The carefree Sergeant had interpreted his duty incorrectly and unorthodoxly befriended both Kaname and her friend Kyoko. He had even gotten drunk in their presence, which greatly lowered his effectiveness as a guard.

In spite of all that, the blonde Sergeant had successfully carried out his duties.

_'Maybe Kurtz __is more effective in his duties than I give him credit for__…'_

According to Kurtz, tomorrow would bring about the demise of the old, boring Sergeant Sourpuss.

_'Forget everything you know about women. Tomorrow, you will be re-educated.'_

The gleam in Sergeant Weber's eyes had caused the younger soldier much discomfort.

Sousuke hated that feeling. But it could not be helped. The only he could do now was to get some rest.

If only…

---

The following morning was gloomy. The dark clouds that took over yesterday's clear blue sky hung ominously overhead Sousuke's apartment complex. The man himself sat on the kitchen chair, his body slumping in an uncharacteristic fashion.

On the other side of the room, Kurtz Weber was wide awake and certainly more enthusiastic about the situation than Sousuke was. He pointed at a certain area of the female body provided by a glossy, life-sized image of a glamour model.

"Launch a pre-emptive strike at this area." He pointed at the top of the woman's hand. "Approach at ease, my boy, but let the opposing force know that you mean business. Oh yeah!" The blonde pumped his fist into the air, his eyes aflame with renewed zeal. "If she does not withdraw, advance using the Kurtz Weber method."

Sousuke stopped in the middle of his yawn. "The Kurtz Weber method? Please specify."

To say Kurtz was brimming with confidence at this moment would be an understatement.

Pulling a package from his luggage, he reached for the air pump and inserted it into the item. A few minutes later, a crude, life-size form of the female specimen appeared before Sousuke. His eyes widened. It was not an uncommon item. On a secret submarine populated mostly by men, Sousuke was more than used to condoms, dirty girlie magazines, and even…

"A blow up doll!" Kurtz smiled widely, patting the plastic object fondly. "Now observe the master of the Weber method."

Moving his hands from the object's left hand, the blonde instructor placed his right arm over to its right shoulder.

"That's step one."

Sousuke nodded, but was slightly uncomfortable.

Then the left hand found its way on the doll's left upper thigh. Hooking his right arm slightly, Kurtz brought the pseudo being closer. After doing that, he tiled his own head to the right, resting on the doll's left shoulder.

"Step two."

Again, Sousuke nodded. This time, he was more than just slightly discomforted. Nevertheless, he motioned for his teammate to continue with his lecture.

Kurtz admired the younger soldier's composure. Normally, the Arbalest's lone pilot would have folded and abandoned the mission by now. He closed his eyes. Now he must continue on. The next few steps would either make or break his clueless teammate.

_'Okay, here I go!'_

---

Kurtz sighed as he went to retrieve the smelling salt.

Sousuke was supine on the ground. Small droplets of blood had stained the wooden floor.

"Geez, he's out cold!"

Sighing again, he applied the medication underneath his fallen comrade's nose. The intended reaction was achieved almost immediately.

Sousuke snapped out of his unconsciousness. Shaking his head, he wiped off the blond on his face. He was clearly ashamed at his reaction as well.

Kurtz sighed.

"Sousuke, how much does this mean to you?"

Sousuke looked offended.

"It is imperative. This mission…"

Kurtz cut him off.

"Not the mission, man. Let me rephrase my question. How important is knowing how to interact with women successfully? Rather, a certain blue-haired woman?"

He stopped in his tracks. Kurtz's question struck him harder than a punch by a seasoned boxer.

He was at a loss for words. He sputtered aimlessly, failing to utter a coherent sentence.

Silence dawned upon the two.

Noticing the awkward setting, Kurtz decided to break the silence.

"Look, I won't pretend that I understand your situation. I don't know what your mission is, but if it involves you learning how to behave around women, personally I'd think that someone in Mithril is looking out for you. So whatever your orders may be, though it seems pointless, it serves to steer you in the right direction."

Kurtz looked proud. It wasn't everyday that he shared such wisdom to his young counterpart.

"Lieutenant Commander Kalinin…" Sousuke muttered.

Kurtz's face dropped. He had meant himself, but clearly that message was incorrectly interpreted.

Sousuke spoke up.

"Affirmative, I understand what I must do. Please continue."

Pleased, Kurtz pulled a traveler's mirror from his pack. He gave it to Sousuke, who took it stiffly.

"For the next part of the lesson, I want you to practice facial expressions, Sergeant."

"But what purpose does this task serve?" asked Sousuke, staring at the mirror.

Kurtz sighed.

_'The boy is stubborn.'_

He pulled out a teen girl magazine, flipped it to the boy band pictures, and handed it to Sousuke.

"Compare your school identification picture with the guys in that magazine."

Sousuke did so and immediately noticed the differences. His school picture had been taken nearly half a year ago on the Tuatha de Daanan. His attempt to smile had been in vain and even worked against him. Though his friends at school had given him much grief about the photo before, he now realized what they were talking about. Constipated was the popular term to describe his photo.

On the other hand, the men in the magazine looked relaxed, carefree, and even natural. Nothing was forced about their smiles. And according to the article next to their photos, the smile ranked as the sixth most appealing trait in "What Women Are Attracted To."

"This publication seems trivial, but effective in its function."

Kurtz nodded, then steered Sousuke back on track.

"Now, normally it would take two weeks to complete this training. But since I only have one day to work with you, I will give you a brief overview of this book." He showed Sousuke a black book with gold lettering. "This book has helped thousands of hapless chaps get with the women of their dreams. It will serve as a manual for your success."

Kurtz looked at the time. It was eleven o'clock. Almost lunchtime.

"First, we will take a short lunch break. After that, we will meet back here to finish this briefing." A smile came across the blonde's face. "After that, the benchmark begins."

Kurtz grinned evilly.

Sousuke gulped. Suddenly he lost his appetite.

---

The nightclub Drift was a very popular hangout for high school girls. Though the age requirement was eighteen and over, underage girls could get in if the bouncers outside deemed them attractive enough. Fortunately, Kurtz was familiar with one of the bouncers that worked at the entrance that night.

The duo walked into the club.

Kurtz surveyed the scene. The place was relatively dead.

_'Oh yeah, it's Sunday night! I guess we came on a wrong day. No, wait…'_

He thought for a moment.

_'This should do nicely. After all, the kid's just starting off.'_

"Okay, Sousuke. The objective for this exercise is plain and simple: talk with as many women as you can. Your goal is to gain as many names and numbers from the women you talk to tonight. I will be tailing you as you go through the routine. Good luck, soldier!" The blonde saluted and was lost in the crowd in an instant.

Sousuke walked towards the bar and began rehearsing the rules in his head.

_'__Step one: The Three Second Rule. __Approach the woman or __her __group __within three seconds after they catch your eye.__ This method is used to take care of uncertainty and over analyzing the situation.__'_

_'__Step two: __**SMILE**__.'_

Sousuke immediately found himself putting on a semi-forced smile. He remembered the purpose of this step. _'To __create a warm, inviting façade that allows for a smooth and easy tra__nsition from catching __the objective's__ eyes to act__ually establishing communication.'_

The barmaid looked at Sousuke, smiling.

"What'll it be, handsome?" she asked, coyly giving him a once-over glance.

"Scotch on the rocks," was the immediate response. Sousuke was not proficient at bar drinks, but Kurtz had told him that scotch on the rocks was the universal drink to order, next to cold beer. He added sternly, "Shaken, not stirred." He glared at the barmaid for a moment, and then softened his gaze. "And get something for yourself, miss."

_'Step three: __Introduction. Now you go from some random guy at the club to __someone who can carry a conversation with the objective.__'_

_'Step four: Build the tension. __If the objective has a group of friends with her, approach her friends and pay the objective little to no attention. If she demands your attention, brush it off casually or demean her like asking her friends, "Is she always so needy?" However, the purpose of this step is to gain a tight hold on the objective's __attention. After a few remarks, isolate the objective and __do damage control to make up for your previous retorts.__'_

The barmaid nodded curtly, and stooped down to get the liquor. She was unsure whether she should just avoid the strange young man or to talk to him. Either way, she brought the drink out and placed a glass cup in front of him and poured him his drink. She poured herself a drink as well and leaned over the countertop.

"Dirty martini," she said coolly, noticing Sousuke staring at her drink instead of drinking his own.

Sousuke gulped. His mind raced through the previous night's instructions. What was the step?

_'Step five:__ Conversation tips. R__ecognize key words within the conversation and spin it back at the objective.__ Anything amusing, witty, or smart-aleck will do here.'_

Sousuke thought for a moment. _'Okay…so the key word is dirt__y__ Dirty, dirt, filthy.__'_He thought about hygiene.

"Dirty?" Sousuke made a perplexed facial expression. "That's interesting. Judging by your looks, I would have never guessed that you are a dirty girl."

_'Rule one: general observations are best for making casual conversation.'_

The barmaid smiled sheepishly and looked away for a moment.

Sousuke looked at her nervously.

_'Is my position compromised?' _

Just when Sousuke was thinking about scrapping the set, his target turned her attention towards him again.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly.

"Why would you need my name, miss?" It was an honest question. "We are in no way connected, either directly or indirectly. It is highly doubtful that we share mutual friends. You are a drink server, and I a customer. The fact that we are speaking now is nothing but a trivial coincidence."

The barmaid smiled and pulled a slip of paper from underneath the liquor cabinet. She scribbled down her name and number and slipped it underneath Sousuke's scotch on the rocks.

"To answer your question, mister, I accidentally labeled you as a poor chump that pours his heart out to the bartender after a few good hits of alcohol. In that sense, the least I could do is know your name so I can offer some sympathetic words and hopefully earn a larger tip. Obviously, I was mistaken. I want to know your name because I think you're cute. We may not have the same friends, but hopefully we can – ahem – _**connect**_ on some level." She smiled suggestively. That was enough for Sousuke to abort his plan. He grabbed his drink and got up from his seat. The slip of paper fell slowly from the bottom of his cup. He caught it and held it in his hands.

"Goodbye, mystery man." She blew a kiss at the bemused young man. "My name's Rin Mitarashi. I'm free on Thursday nights."

Sousuke nodded. His mind was numb, but he knew he had to get out of sight, fast! His legs carried him onto the dance floor, to his dismay. His allowed his eyes to wander, and they stopped and focused in on two dancing figures.

The two younger looking girls took notice and started dancing around him.

Sousuke gulped again.

---

**"HOW MANY NUMBERS DID YOU GET?"**

Kurtz did not believe his teammate. It just couldn't be true!

"Thirteen," he repeated, placing numerous slips of paper, post-its, and business cards onto the table. "How did it go for you?"

The blonde looked grumpily at the little paper mountain that Sousuke reeled in, and at the two slips of paper in his palms. It had been a lousy night. Besides being rejected five times on the dance floor, his face and shirt had been temporarily soaked in a dirty martini. He had asked the barmaid if he could keep her dirty delicates.

Noticing that Sousuke was looking, he closed his hand and hid it behind his back.

"Well, you pass, my boy!"

Sousuke looked pleased, but nodded shortly. There would be time for celebration after his mission was completed.

"But that was the easy part," Kurtz warned, placing his index finger in front of Sousuke's face. "Night game is much easier. Tomorrow, you start the day game. It's an entirely different ballgame." Seeing the fear in the brunette's face, Kurtz regained a bit more confidence. "Get a good night's sleep. I will brief you in the morning. You're dismissed."

Nodding, Sousuke took his leave.

Kurtz looked at his teammate's retreating figure.

He sighed resignedly. He knew that his younger teammate had potential, but to beat out Kurtz Weber, the grand master of picking up women? His pride mortally wounded, the blonde soldier collapsed onto the ground. Shaking his head, he crawled into his makeshift bunk and grabbed his pillow.

_'Really, how the hell…'_

Before he could finish the thought, Kurtz drifted off.

---

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Please enjoy and review!


	3. Sousuke's Debut

"Where on **EARTH** is that big idiot?"

She had meant that in the literal sense.

Kaname Chidori, Class Representative for Year 2 Class 4, waited outside the train station. The day had started off badly. For once, she did not wake up in time. And for the extra fifteen minutes of shut eye, she had to sacrifice her morning shower.

Her eyebrows twitched.

She **LOVED** her morning showers.

It was the one thing that justified her reason for waking up so early in the morning.

She checked her watch. It was already 8:20. She was on track to receiving her first tardy. She sighed dramatically. _'So long, future.__ Tokyo University, good bye.'_ Her mind skipped from the prestigious university to a certain Mithril operative. A vein popped up in her temple.

"S-S-Sousuke…" she growled, gritting her teeth. The blue-haired girl was so beside herself in anger that she didn't notice the object of her frustration approaching her from behind.

"Good morning, Kaname."

She turned abruptly, her hair traveling in midair like a whip. Reaching into her bag, her hand was firmly gripping the halisen. As she raised her arm and readied herself to deliver a punishing blow to the brunette teen's head, she noticed something different about Sousuke. Besides the crowd of girls that had gathered behind him, Kaname noticed certain physical changes as well. For one, he didn't smell like oil and gunpowder. And that he was actually attempting to look amiable instead of the usual emotionless façade.

_'Something's different about his __look__…'_ Kaname thought, studying her bodyguard in wonder.

Sousuke had pulled back his hair into a short ponytail and donned a very fashionable pair of light blue shades.

In all, he did not look like the grumpy, serious, almost robot-like person she had grown to accept. Even she couldn't deny that Sousuke looked nice, presentable even.

_'But it's not Sousuke…'_Her softer side thought sadly.

_'Who the hell cares?'_ That was, of course, her aggressive side. It was the same one that was hell bent on world domination. Well, at least the high school student council.

Sousuke noticed that the blue-haired Whispered was unusually quiet today. He bowed over slightly to establish eye contact with her.

"Kaname, did you hear what I said?"

She snapped out of her daze. She had not heard a word he said.

"Huh?" Was her smart reply.

Sousuke frowned.

_'Miss Chidori is never this dull. Something must be up.'_

"Are you sick?" He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You do not appear to have a fever. Maybe a slight concussion? Kaname, did you injure yourself in any way yesterday?"

_'Still the same clueless idiot…'_ Kaname thought, balling her hands into a fist. She waited for him to give her an indirect insult, like he usually did. Something along the lines of _'Miss Chidori, you shouldn't stay up late. It's not good for your complexion'_ or '_Did you have a late night snack? I __**HAVE**__ noticed that you put on more weight recently.'_

Sousuke stopped. In his mind he reverted back to Kurtz's training.

How many times had he been struck down by the person he was concerned about? Honestly, he had lost count, but it was a fact that his good intentions had done **HIM** more wrong than right in the past. In most cases, Kaname was involved.

Shaking his head, Sousuke stood upright again. _'Miss Chidori is a strong __and able __person. She is capable of caring for herself.'_

"Let's go, Kaname. School's already started."

He trotted on in a slow gait, fighting back the urge to turn back to Kaname. He thought back to what Kurtz had said.

_'Sousuke, my boy.__ Women are a complicated bunch.__ Contrary to what most men believe, __the art of seduction __does not encompass the basic aspects o__ f friendship__The two are as different as night and day. __Women__ want romance, not affection. Attention, but not compassion. __Many men have fallen victim to this misconception and landed into the dreaded friend-zone.__ And don't let the name fool you; it is the worst case scenario if __you are really interested in the person__. Imagine this: You are piloting a UH-60A Black Hawk assault/carrier craft__ carrying support troops__. Your mission is simply to retrieve your __fallen__ comrades__ on the ground__. As you are about to __arrive at the LZ, you notice several opposition __on the ground __equipped with __the RBS 70 __anti-aircraft missile.__Being the brave and loyal soldier that you are, you will probably try to touch down __at the compromised LZ __and __carry out__ your mission__. But in doing so, you seal your fate and those of your fellow soldiers. __The LZ__ is the Friend Zone.__'_

_'__The moral of the story__: STAY AWAY FROM THE FRIEND ZONE.'_

Sousuke nodded. As a veteran soldier, he knew better than to exacerbate an already compromised mission. It would be better to lose ten soldiers in a battle than twenty by haphazardly trying to save the original ten. Sacrifices were made on the field in every mission. Success is determined by the amount of soldiers that survive the mission. The objective, while significant, could be reached another time.

The concept was easy enough to understand.

But could he leave Kaname behind?

Despite the fact that her life was in no danger, Sousuke found that reality hard to digest.

---

Kaname sat at her desk, dozing off into her own world. The teacher's words were lost in the brain's processing center. Instead, she replayed this morning's events in her mind. Sousuke had shown up dressed surprisingly normal, had attracted a huge crowd of young adoring middle school girls, and for once didn't come to a dumb conclusion about something otaku and refrained from threatening anyone within five feet of her. Yes, things were really different today.

_'Just what is going on in that idiot's mind right now?'_

She turned around to give Sousuke her notes on Classical Japanese History.

"Here, Sous – "

She froze as she noticed her classmate Maya sitting ridiculously close to her bodyguard.

_'Since when did the school adopt the desk pairing scheme?'_

"So what did you say to the barmaid?" Maya asked, tittering like, well, a high school girl. She looked on with interest.

"I asked her if she was a dirty girl. And she replied by giving me her number," said Sousuke, twirling a pencil in his right hand.

The surrounding crowd of girls began whispering among themselves. Kaname could not hear the exact conversation but heard the phrase "Such boldness!" was popular amongst some of the girls. She growled.

"Sousuke…"

He turned his attention away from Maya, who glared at Kaname.

"Yes, Kaname?"

"Just who was this person in your little story?" She asked sweetly. It took all the willpower she possessed to refrain from beating the young man into a bloody pulp.

Sousuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"She worked at the nightclub that I went to yesterday."

Kaname felt a metaphorical fifty kilogram weight drop on her head.

"A n-n-nightclub, Sousuke? Is that right?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Affirmative. From what I can remember, she seemed very eager and willing to serve me."

Another weight appeared out of thin air. A camera flash went off in the background.

"R-Really now, Sousuke…"

A vein throbbed slowly in her temple. She inhaled deeply. There was a reasonable explanation for the young man's answer. That, or he must have misinterpreted her original question. Either way, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

For once.

She was a merciful ruler.

"Um…affirmative, again."

"And what did this woman do afterwards?" Her inquiry was delivered poorly, but that did not matter at this moment. Her hand had already found its way into her book bag.

"She gave me her number and asked me out on Thursday ni –"

His voice trailed off as he noticed Miss Kagurazaki walking in his direction with a stack of papers. Unfortunately, Kaname had her back turned away from the front.

His response was simple enough. There was no room left for misinterpretation. Execution would commence as scheduled.

The halisen materialized out of thin air.

Growling, Kaname swung her striking arm back with a force greater than momentum could provide. A loud _**'thud!'**_ followed before she could swing down on Sousuke's head.

A hail of paper rained down on the classroom. The teacher fell backwards from the unintentional strike. A large red mark in the shape of a rectangle had formed before she hit the floor.

Kaname turned her head slowly. Her worst fears had been realized.

The entire class let out a collective gasp.

Mrs. Kagurazaki regained herself. Wincing in pain, she glared at the culprits and pointed at the door.

"Principal's office, **NOW**!"

While she was a relatively young teacher, she spoke with such authority that her age was completely forgotten.

The two got up from their seats and trotted out the classroom.

_'Sousuke… you really __**ARE**__ the master at making things worse! First a tardy, now aggravated assault on a teacher?'_

She hung her head dejectedly. Tokyo U was **DEFINITELY** out of the question now.

_'God…Why me?'_

---

Principle Takako Tsuboi leaned back against her plush office chair, content.

Today was one of the smoothest and most uneventful days since Sousuke Sagara of Class 2-4 transferred to her school. No blown-up lockers, no damage reports, no injuries incurred by the most improbable of scenarios.

It was a good day. The old educator could feel it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of the intercom.

"Principal Tsuboi, Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori of Class 2-4 are here to see you," said her secretary.

Speak of the devil…

The elderly woman sighed.

"Show them in."

The door opened and two teenagers walked in. Sousuke came in first, followed by the blue-haired Class Representative. They immediately took their seats. By now, it was already routine.

Tsuboi folded her hands.

"So what seems to be the problem this time?" She sounded slightly amused. After the last incident that caused everyone's clothing to melt right off their bodies, the experienced educator thought she had seen it all. "I am holding both of you to your honor."

Then again, Sousuke Sagara was anything but ordinary. He probably had more shenanigans up his sleeve.

Kaname began to explain the incident, but Sousuke started a second earlier.

"I am to blame for the situation. Class had already begun at 0830 hours, and I was conversing with Miss Shouji. Miss Chidori was simply carrying out her duties as a model student by keeping me on track. It was unfortunate timing that landed us both in trouble, but I will take whatever punishment you see fit the crime."

Kaname felt her heart swell. Once again, Sousuke managed to bring her back from utmost hatred to hopeful in a second.

Sousuke continued.

"But I do believe certain actions must be taken to prevent this event from recurring in the future."

Principal Tsuboi looked on with interest.

"And what might these actions be, Mr. Sagara?"

"The immediate confiscation of Miss Chidori's halisen." Kaname snapped from her thoughts, scowling. "It has proved most disturbing and inefficient in the past. Also, its presence is a threat to myself and to this school."

Kaname felt the imaginary weights on the top of her head again. But this time, they were a hundred kilogram weights.

_'Just who does he think he is, lecturing about the safety of the school?__When he, Captain Chaos, has already blown up every section of the school.__**T**__**HAT**__**IDIOT!!!**__'_

The elderly woman was thinking along the same lines as Kaname. However, the young man had a valid point.

"Very well, Mr. Sagara. Miss Chidori, you are to relinquish the object in question to your teacher when you return to class. Is that understood? I'm sure Mr. Sagara wouldn't mind seeing this order through."

She looked at Sousuke, who nodded crisply.

She noticed that his arm twitched involuntarily, as if he were about to raise his arm but changed his mind in the last second.

"It's not a problem."

The Principal nodded.

"Very well. You may leave now."

---

Kaname exhaled deeply as she and her classmates walked out from the entrance of the high school. Today had been a stressful, not to mention embarrassing, day. After she and the one-man wrecking crew went back to class, she had to give up her weapon of choice in front of everyone. Nearly all of her classmates had broken out in cheers during that transaction.

She growled.

_'That IDIOT…I HATE HIM!'_

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sousuke shadowing her. He wore a baseball cap as well as his sunglasses. His disguise had no effect whatsoever.

Angrily, Kaname spun around and faced him.

Sousuke gave her a less than convincing look.

"Kaname? What a co –"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT! HOW ABOUT ANOTHER EXCUSE FOR ONCE?" Sousuke stood completely rooted to the cement. "I'M WAITING, SOLDIER!"

Slowly, he regained some of his composure.

"Kaname, I live right next to you. I take this route everyday. Why is this fact bothering you?"

"Why is it bothering me?" Kaname's voice was barely a whisper. "First, I had a dull, clueless robot tailing me everywhere I go. But he did try his best for me, even though he was completely oblivious to what I really wanted. And now? You're dressed the part, Sousuke. I give you credit for that much. But the fact remains…you're still as clueless as ever. Why don't you just do yourself a favor and jump off a bridge? If not for yourself, then for me. Please, do me this favor!"

Tears had already begun welling up in her eyes. Her vision blurred, she turned and ran towards her apartment complex.

Her ears were ringing from her own words.

She didn't hear Sousuke calling after her.


	4. Kaname's Resolution

An apartment door opened slowly.

The brunette resident walked in without first inspecting for signs of a break-in by a hostile third party.

The door closed in the same manner.

The rotating portion of the knob turned from its unlocked horizontal axis to its vertical counterpart.

Every step of this simple action was mechanical, routine. Nothing out of the ordinary.

However, if someone had broken into the premise, the situation would have been much more different. Then, it wouldn't be so routine. It would definitely be extraordinary.

The same point could be made for the young Mithril operative's current position. He had followed through with his orders, which were to interact with as many female subjects in his class and secure a direct line of communication with the intended target.

Had he been successful? Mentally, he counted off the mission objectives.

Sousuke looked at the phonebook entry on his cell phone. There were several new numbers just added today.

_'__Obtaining__ contact information. Check.'_

He lifted his shirt up near the neck region and sniffed. Instantly, a mix of exotic fragrances filled his sense.

_'Establishing contact. Check.'_

Rolling up his sleeves, he exposed several doodles tattooed on both arms.

_'Indicators of interest. Check.'_ He licked his thumb and attempted to smear out one of the artworks on his arm. The ink was unaffected. He frowned. Someone had used a particularly potent marker. Sharpie, he surmised.

_'Longevity of attraction.'_ The memories of the numerous kisses, hugs, and pinches had him sweating up a storm. _'Confirmed.' _

He stopped the count.

He had reached the purpose of the exercise. His mission was a success. He had achieved every one of the objectives, and by all rights proved his proficiency as a soldier.

Kaname's words echoed in his mind.

"Was it a success?" He pondered that question as he ran a cold towel across his face. The tingling sensation brought him back from his nostalgic state. With Kaname and the males in the class being the exceptions, he had managed to successfully flirt with everyone he talked to today. He was fifteen out of sixteen, nearly a ninety-four percent success rate! Logically speaking, the fact that he had been unsuccessful with Kaname was numerically inconsequential.

Sousuke sighed.

But was it really? Could he really consider his ward as insignificant? Was she just as important as the next person in line?

_'Obviously not. Kaname Chidori is a Whispered and therefore an important person. She has priority over normal civilians.__ But in this exercise, she is not__ more important than anyone else in the class. That being the case, I cannot allow Miss Chidori's unique capacity to compromise my mission.'_

Sousuke sighed, burying his face into his cupped hands. The mission was beginning to weigh heavily on his conscious. But he had his orders. Only amateurs shied away from their obligations.

Sousuke Sagara was no amateur.

He was a Specialist.

And he had a job to do.

---

Kaname woke up the following morning in an apathetic mood. She rose from her bed, pulled open the curtains, and gathered her school outfit from the closet before walking into the bathroom. After reaching behind her back to undo her bra clasps and pulling down her panties, she stepped into the tub and pulled the shower curtains close.

Last night, the blue-haired girl had set forth a goal for herself: to avoid thinking about Sousuke Sagara.

Yesterday served as the perfect example to back up her reasoning.

With her academic future near shambles because of that idiot, Kaname knew that she needed to take immediate action. And the first course of action was to weed out the main problem.

Sousuke.

It was an ultimatum of sorts, a last resort. She had been cornered into a wall. She couldn't afford to give the enemy another inch of ground over her.

She wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the tub. As she walked out to her bedroom, she caught sight of her reflect. Doubling back, she stared for a while at the young woman staring back at her on the other side.

She frowned slightly.

_'I shouldn't have been so hard on that idiot yesterday. I should go and apologize…'_

Her thoughts trailed off.

_'I can't…at least not yet. I need my own privacy for a while.'_

She thought about her academic standing. Anything short of God Himself lending her a helping hand would not suffice in helping her get into the college of her choice. She needed to focus on school, not cover for the damages caused by a certain idiot otaku.

_'Sorry, Sousuke. I have more important matters to attend to.'_

Perking up, she buttoned up her uniform top and began pulling her right sock to knee level when her cell phone chirped. She looked at the caller ID. It was her best friend Kyoko Tokiwa.

She picked up the call.

"Hey, Ky, what's up?" asked Kaname brightly, pulling up the left sock now.

"Nothing important, really. I just wanted to call to ask you something about Sousuke."

Her friend's words hit Kaname like a bag of bricks.

This conversation was not helping her resolve.

"Sousuke? What about him? Why are you asking me?"

She tried to sound perplexed, but her delivery was too forced, which made her sound almost guilty.

Kyoko Tokiwa knew better.

"Haven't you noticed some changes with Sagara?" Kyoko set the trap down carefully. She knew her friend's habits. Anything other than 'no' meant 'HELL YES!!' and 'no' would mean that it was bothering her enough to go the extra mile of denying it.

Either way, her blue-haired friend was in a lose-lose situation.

The line turned silent.

"Anything different about his appearance?" Kyoko added helpfully.

Kaname cleared her throat.

"How about the way he's been acting?"

"Errr…"

Kyoko sighed. The conversation was heading nowhere, fast.

"Well, **I** have. And I couldn't help but feel like Sousuke's gone up in my books."

A loud clattering noise reached the amateur photographer's ears.

Kaname had dropped the phone. Hurriedly, she picked it up off the ground.

"Um, now that you mention it, Kyoko, I have noticed that Sousuke's been acting weird lately. But I wouldn't put it past him for trying to do something otaku. He might be trying to fool everyone in class or something. Not me, though! **AHAHAHA**…."

Kaname shook her head. Even **SHE** didn't believe that poorly concocted fabrication.

On the other line, Kyoko smiled at her friend's recovery.

"I don't think that's it," she continued, placing her camera into her book bag.

Kaname interrupted.

"Well, in any case, as long as that moron's not blowing up shoe lockers or threatening to kill our classmates, we have nothing to worry about."

She added a fake laugh.

"Hmm…well, anyway, I'll see you at school, Ka-Na-May." She dragged on her friend's name playfully. She knew that she hated when people do that.

The line went dead and the call window blipped off.

Kaname hung her head dejectedly. Suddenly she wasn't feeling as confident about the day as she did before.

So much for her resolve.

She picked up her school bag and headed off.

---

The compartment was completely packed. It was a miracle that the Mithril operative had spotted out an empty seat a few moments ago. By now, most of the commuters were standing in the aisles. Sousuke noted a few girls from Jindai High, who looked at him and engaged in a hushed conversation amongst themselves. A particularly brave girl allowed her gaze to linger a while longer on him before turning back to the group. Sousuke turned his head and faced forward again. The group posed no threat to himself or the civilians around him.

A few minutes had passed before he noticed someone standing relatively close to him. He turned his head and his gaze instantly fell upon the brave girl in the group he had been scouting. She was a textbook beauty. Long, flowing raven hair. Full luscious lips. Sparkling eyes that emitted a sly and somewhat flirtatious vibe.

"Your name is Sousuke Sagara, right? I'm Yuuri Uzuki." She introduced herself boldly, looking directly at Sousuke.

Sousuke looked back and nodded slowly. Inwardly, he was racking through his mind trying to remember his blonde teammate's advice.

_'In the dating world, there are women who most men avoid pursuing. Not because of their personality or looks, but because of their level of confidence. If you should happen to stumble across an extremely confident and bold woman, remember my words, partner. __The subject uses confidence to compensate for an unknown shortcoming. By rejecting to acknowledge the subject's confidence, __you take away the one thing that she has going for her. In doing so, you knock her down a few pegs, so to speak.__ Consider this psychological warfare, my boy. Shake the opposition's confidence, and the second that she allows her true emotions out, aim for her vulnerable areas.'__ Kurtz winked slyly, but Sousuke must have missed the pun._

"You know of me, then," replied Sousuke coolly, staring into the contents of his school bag.

"Well, of course. I mean, your name is pretty well known at our school. You're the idiot that brought that God-forsaken bacteria to school. I wore my favorite dress that day, just so you know."

She looked accusingly at Sousuke, bending forward with her hands on her hips. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

Sousuke yawned, rolling his neck back and forth.

He stared back, meeting her gaze.

"Why were you wearing a dress, then? Why were you not wearing your school uniform, like everyone else? Did you want to stand out in class?"

Apparently, the girl was not ready for that response. She looked shocked for a moment, and then regained herself.

"I just thought it looked cute, okay?" She responded angrily, her face slightly flushed.

"Just getting by on appearance, then?" Sousuke pressed on, remembering a line from a movie he had watched recently. He thought about continuing the retort along the lines of _'Do you need to do this just so you can cover just how plain and boring you truly are?'_ but even he knew that line was far beyond a low blow. He shrugged. "Just as well, I guess. If that's the case, you've succeeded."

Her face lost much of the rage that had been etched on. Her expression softened at his underlying compliment. She blushed deeply.

"Ahem, well, thank you." She looked uncertain for a moment. The turbulent tides were evening out, and the calm waves were returning once again. "Even though I haven't forgiven you for that nasty episode, I have to say that I do admire your devotion to the whole military otaku bit. Is it true that you carry guns in your book bag?" She looked at him excitedly.

Sousuke hesitated, and then motioned for her to lean in closer. Slowly, he pulled out the Glock 17 from his book bag.

"Can I hold it in my hands?" She breathed deeply. At the same time, Sousuke happened to peer down a bit lower and noticed the rising and falling of her chest. He began to perspire.

But now was not the time to lose focus.

His mind went back to the Kurtz Weber method. Unfortunately, there were several rules on top of the numerous methods that encompassed the playboy's philosophy. The man himself had once demonstrated Method #1 on the plastic contraption.

_'Rule #__1__**The GOLDEN Rule**__: Never shy away from an opportunity to make a sex-oriented remark. Any type of sex-related insulation is necessary in the art of flirting.__ Oh yeah!__'_

Sousuke recited a line straight from Kurtz's arsenal of lascivious remarks.

"Slow it down, we just met. I don't satisfy requests until the second date."

Again, she wasn't prepared for the comment. Blushing, she bowed her head slightly.

"OOH, I apologize for my boldness, Sagara."

Playing along, she smiled devilishly back at Sousuke. It wasn't everyday that she met a guy who was on her level.

He shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not a problem, Yuuri. Treat me to lunch and then we can negotiate."

She wasted no time in dishing out her number.

Smiling back, he pushed the pistol back into his book bag. His stop had arrived and Yuuri returned to her group.

Sousuke sighed.

It was just as well.

He was beginning to feel uneasy with the way the raven-haired girl stared at him. It looked almost like a starved wolf staring ravenously at an unsuspecting sheep.

Looking back, he waved at the subject, who responded by licking her lips suggestively.

Sousuke gulped.

Yes, there was **DEFINITE****LY** a resemblance there.

---

The classroom door was ajar for a brief moment.

Suddenly, a blue-haired head of the Class Representative appeared in the room.

Seeing no sign of the hostile, she sighed and fully entered the room.

She sat at her desk and took out her course book.

"Good morning, Kaname," said a voice from behind.

The book went flying as she jumped from hearing the voice.

"S-S-Sousuke!" Her resolve failed. Instinct took over.

He handed her the book and turned away, whistling softly.

Kaname gave him a weird look. The clueless idiot was weird in many ways, but to ignore her? That was unheard of.

_'Well, at least you won't have to talk to him, just like you planned. You should be glad,'_ her logic reasoned.

It made sense.

The weird feeling in her chest, however, did not.

Placing a hand on her chest, she breathed deeply and exhaled. She flipped to the assigned page number and started reading the text.

The classroom door slid open again. This time, an attractive girl walked in with a stack of paper cradled in her arms. The male population in the class started whopping and whistling the moment the cute, petite girl walked in.

"**OOH BABY**!" One boy with glasses yelled out.

"LORD HAVE MERCY!!" Another rang out.

"THERE **IS** A GOD…" Another.

"HEY CUTIE PIE!!" And another.

"That's my type!" Said a female voice.

The guys stopped the catcalling and stared collectively at the person who made the last comment. Blushing, the girl buried her face behind a book.

The target of the catcalls was not fazed at all. After all, she had to deal with it pretty much everyday. Her good looks were what they called "a gift and a curse." So for the most part, she was comfortable with it. She smiled timidly, but froze when a certain otaku walked towards her.

"S-Sagara!" She bowed her head slightly and folded her hands in front of her. Truth be told, she was still frightened by the guy she had once professed her love to. Could anyone blame her? She had waited nearly five hours for him, almost got raped by a group of thugs, and where was Sousuke? Hiding in some bush in full blown camo with a shotgun pointed at her.

She looked uncertainly at him.

"You are Enma Saeki, correct?" She nodded nervously. Sousuke smiled lightly. "I believe I owe you an apology. It was just a misunderstanding. That day, I noticed that someone had tampered with my shoe locker. I thought that someone with ill intentions had tagged an explosive of sorts so I detonated my locker. I believe you misinterpreted my words last time when I told you that I detonated your letter. The course of action I took was not out of spite, but of the safety of my classmates. I hope you do not think too harshly of me."

Sousuke stepped forward and lightly embraced the shocked girl.

The classroom went silent. Onlookers looked on in disbelief. Several students wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them, but they were all looking at the same scene.

The most shocked was, of course, Kaname Chidori.

Her eyes were dead set on her textbook. It would be better to be ignorant of the situation. However, she had nothing to impair her hearing.

"It is a fortuitous opportunity seeing you again, Enma."

Kaname clenched her mechanical pencil hard. The resilient plastic covering bent slight at the tremendous pressure it was under.

"Will you join me for lunch today?"

Kaname growled aloud. Shinji and Maya, who sat on either side of her, simultaneously inched further away. It was best not to stand too close to an active volcano. Even if the direct lava flow was intended toward another destination, the mudflow and ash would indiscriminately scorch the closest bystanders.

"Oh, I really couldn't. What would my friends say if they see us?"

_'Oh, little Miss Prissy is so insecure. Poor girl! What a phony! Hmmph!'_

Mentally, Kaname used some choice words to describe Enma Saeki. She grinned evilly down at her textbook. Her grip on her pencil was tighter than ever.

"It's not a problem, Miss Saeki. We'll tell them that it's just a _**coincidence**_."

The mechanical pencil snapped.

So did Kaname.


	5. Chaos

A/N: I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for reading and reviewing my work. Really, your dedication and patience to this piece gives me the motivation to continue onwards. I am pleasantly surprised that I haven't had a single negative response to the contents of the story, especially when it contains such a trivially controversial topic like the art of seduction. Normally, this topic would bring about much heated debates. Whatever the case, know that I welcome (even encourage) constructive criticisms from the readers. Not just to improve on my writing style and content, but in life as well.

Next, I would like to address some questions. Kurtz **MAY** have taught Sousuke some advanced and perilously complex techniques, both practical and theoretical, but it is still up in the air for the moment whether or not the story will be steered in **THAT** direction. Just know that our brave hero is slowly applying the concepts taught to him by the fan-favorite playboy and that with each step, the approach will become more risqué and daring.

I will end on this note, as I feel like divulging any more info will give away the story completely. Again, thank you for your time and enjoy!

---

The room was in complete disorder. Chairs had been tossed. Desks overturned. The teacher's podium now protruded from the chalkboard. The force with which it had been hurled easily allowed the heavy-set woodwork to pass through the plaster wall behind the fragile chalkboard piece. Broken glass littered the areas closest to the windows. The window panes themselves were utterly shattered. Down on the streets below, bits of plastic, glass, metal, and wood were all that was left to stand testimony of school property that had been damaged during the fray.

Those who were smart enough had abandoned their study hall and run for their lives. The others stood in clumped groups on all four sides of the room for protection. Some lone students took refuge under the desks that had not been overturned in the midst of the rampage.

Kaname Chidori stood over Sousuke. Completely ignoring Enma Saeki, who had collapsed onto the floor due to the limpness of her fragile legs and was now trembling in fear and holding herself tightly to lessen the involuntary motion, the Class Representative dragged the defeated young man by the collar. When she reached the door, she turned her attention back to her fellow classmates. Her expression was indescribably malignant. Even Tsubaki Issei cowered at his crush's malevolent aura.

"Some street thugs found their way here and trashed the classroom as a result of their fighting. That's what happened if anybody asks."

Her tone was deadly, begging for someone to contradict her. After all, she was just getting warmed up.

Sadly, no takers. Kaname's inner beast would have to wait a little while longer to feast.

"Come on, Casanova. Let's go." Gruffly, she shoved the culprit up three flights of stairs. When they had reached the end of the line, she prodded hardly on Sousuke's back, signaling him to walk through the door. A fresh breeze reached both teenagers' faces the moment they walked through the door pane. The open air felt crisp, hinting at the changing of the seasons.

Fresh air. Freedom. Those were things that Sousuke had thought he would never experience again.

Sousuke turned about, staring Death Herself in the eyes. There was a common belief that dogs could anticipate the coming of their demise. If there was ever such a thing, Sousuke was experiencing it now. The veteran soldier was frightened, truly fearful for his life. He had cheated death in battle on countless occasions, but this time it was different.

True, it was not an unfair match. The number of the opposing side matched his own. Weapons? Those would be useless here, unless the young Sergeant could explain to Mithril brass just exactly why he opened fire on his assignment. Then again, maybe the Captain wouldn't mind after all… But no. Physical strength would not help him now. Basic training? Virtually useless. Operation of an ArmSlave? Unfit given the terrain. Expertise with explosives? Forget about it.

No, only **ONE** discipline would help him now. A craft that he had just learned a few days ago and, unlike his military training, had little mastery over it. Sousuke felt sweat beads forming across his face. The collar region of his shirt was beginning to dampen. His current position was less than favorable. The opposition had the higher ground, and the basic rule of battle dictated that the force with the higher position would most definitely thwart the opposition on the lower ground.

"Kaname…" Sousuke started, but the blue-haired Whispered cut him out.

"Sousuke, what just happened down there?" Her words were soft and delicate, but even the clueless soldier knew better to relax his stance even for a moment. He also knew that his next words would determine his chances for survival.

"Are you referring to my dealings with Miss Saeki? It was my sole intention to clarify any confusion she had of our past encounter. Miscommunication often leads to misconceptions, which in turn can rear its ugly head towards retaliation. Retaliation leads to war."

Kaname nodded her head, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.

"Okay, so what's the point of inviting her to lunch?" She glared angrily. Her hands were placed upon her hips and she leaned forward on her tiptoes, staring down at Sousuke.

"I was merely extending an olive branch. When one attempts to reopen negotiations, it is customary to provide a peace offering. This technique greatly ensures a successful and favorable end for both parties."

Sousuke laughed lightly, but his trembling body gave away his nervousness.

Kaname was **NOT** pleased.

"Let me get this straight. You, Sergeant Sousuke Sagara, thought it was necessary to talk to an associate that you know had feelings for you. Even after you scared her witless the last time?"

"Yes, Kaname. It is my duty –"

She held up her hand, looking incredulously at her bodyguard and friend.

"It is your duty to protect me. To ensure my safety and that of my classmates. To make sure I don't fall into the wrong hands. I doubt fraternizing with other students is high on that list."

Sousuke opened his mouth to reply, but froze. He COULDN'T reveal his mission. A professional would never give away his true intentions to the enemy. Not that he considered labeling Kaname Chidori an enemy, of course, but given his current position…it was really tempting to do so.

Slowly, he edged closer to the confused girl, closing the distance between them. In turn, Kaname lowered her head so that her hair would cover her face. She was too proud to shed tears in front of the stoic military maniac that was Sousuke Sagara. But recently, she found it really hard to keep her emotions in check, given the obvious changes in her formerly boring and obsessive bodyguard.

"Kaname, do you want me to stop?" Sousuke asked lightly, hunching over slightly so he could be face to face with the blue-haired girl. Surprised at his actions, Kaname looked up. Sousuke froze. Tears had formed at the corners of her eyes.

"Kaname…" Sousuke reached out his hand.

Suddenly, Kaname slapped his outstretched arm away.

She didn't need this. Not now. The months of frustration and agitation caused by the Mithril operative's inability to take the initiative with her manifested into an ugly beast in her heart. She stomped angrily, shaking her head as Sousuke recoiled from her sudden actions.

"Do what you want. I don't care anymore."

Seething, Kaname abandoned the stunned soldier on the rooftop. She found refuge in the nearest girl's bathroom and locked herself in the stall. She didn't need this. She had been patient with the clueless idiot. For so many months, she had wished he would change his matter-of-factly attitude and adjust to civilian life. He was, after all, just a teenager like her. All she wanted was for him to acknowledge her as more than just a normal girl. Of course, that was nearly impossible, given her Whispered status. At the very least, she had hoped he could see her as a close friend, one he could confide in. No, she didn't want to break him in completely. She accepted the military misfit for who he was. And although some of his habits were a tad bizarre, if not dangerous, she found it in her heart to try to overlook his abnormal behavior. She had even found a special place in her heart for him, and though she would never admit it to anyone, not even her best friend Kyouko (well, at least not yet), she was beginning to develop special feelings for him.

And how did he feel about her? She had to admit that he was, as of late, trying to act like a normal high school boy. She had no problem (well, maybe a little) with Sousuke trying to talk to more girls in class. At the very least, it showed her that there was something going on in that otaku mind of his other than the delay reaction of the Glock 17 between each consecutive shot. Because of that, Kaname saw a glimmer a hope in what had originally been a fruitless case.

Why couldn't it be with her, though? It was selfish notion, to be sure, but a credible question nonetheless. After all, she **WAS**, to her chagrin, Sousuke's closest friend in the school. So then why not her? Why would he direct his affections to random girls who knew nothing about him? She had surmised that Sousuke Sagara had more substance than **THAT**. Kaname was pretty confident in her looks, but grudgingly accepted the fact that the other girls in her class were beauties themselves. Besides their appearance, what did the others offer him that she couldn't?

_'A mature, level headed personality?__Or perhaps a serene life devoid of random acts of violence over trivial matters?'_Her inner voice asked mockingly. _'Take your pick, honey.'_

Suddenly, Kaname felt sick. Not because she just realized her surroundings, but by her own ignorance. Why did she pity herself when she clearly deserved no special treatment from Sousuke? Left to ponder this question, she got up from the U-bend of the toilet and walked back to class.

---

The other students looked on in shock when both Kaname and Sousuke arrived in the corridor, both uninjured and intact (more so Sousuke than Kaname). The police had come to investigate the incident, but so far, the miscreants remained at large. The entrance of the classroom was sealed off by the bright yellow caution tape. The damages done to the room was extensive and would take several days to restore the area back to its original condition.

Principal Tsuboi, being the optimistic individual that she was, decided to take this time to commence renovations for Class 1's classroom as well. As a result, both Class 1 and Class 4 were to utilize the auditorium as their homeroom. That being said…

"No way! Can you believe our luck?" Ono-D from Sousuke and Kaname's class asked, nudging his companion Shinji in the ribs.

"What's the big deal?" The other, who was a member of the Photography Club, gave his friend an inquiring look. "It's just combining two classes together."

"Have you **SEEN** the girls in Class 1?" The tall boy with short blond hair was practically hysterical by this point.

The long-time subscriber to Jane's Arm Slave magazine thought for a moment. He racked his brain for a brief moment before it fell upon a certain girl. He blushed madly.

Throughout the corridor, the other guys of Class 4 were having the same conversations amongst themselves. Whooping and laughter echoed through the hallway.

"FINALLY! SOMETHING DECENT TO LOOK AT EVERYDAY!" A brazen young man pumped his fist in the air. His friends laughed along and patted him on the back.

"OOOHH **BABY**!" A Music Club member joined in, smiling confidently.

The girls in Class 4, however, seemed to take offense to the reaction of the opposite sex. After all, the guys had just directly insulted them. There would be Hell to pay later… But first they would need to exact punishment on their own brave leader.

"And it's all thanks to our Class Representative!" Mizuki, who was hiding behind the masses, blurted out, snickering. Though she mainly tried to steer clear of using underhanded methods (okay, maybe not), she couldn't pass up this golden opportunity to take her revenge on the girl her beloved Shirai had dumped her for. Of course Kaname thoroughly reject him, which made it all the more insulting to Mizuki's honor.

"Yeah, let's hear it for Kaname!" Maya took the ball and rolled with it. She was still steamed at Kaname's uncanny ability to excel at everything, including sports. All the countless hours she had put in to master the game of basketball, and that blue-haired bimbo defeated her in a game with one-on-on with absolute ease. Talk about killing one's pride.

The other girls gave the blue-haired Class Rep death glares while the guys took the comments at face value. "HIP, HIP, **HOORAY**!"

_'Those IDIOTS!'_ Kaname looked incredulously at the thick-headed guys. A camera flash went off in the background. She cursed, now livid with that damn camera her friend Kyouko was always carrying around. _'Can things get any worse?'_

She spun around, looking for the brunette otaku. History had proven that Sousuke would come out and say something to completely blow the situation wide open, causing more confusion and basically mass hysteria. Instead, Sousuke was nowhere to be found.

---

The door was unlocked. Cautiously, Sousuke drew his pistol and slid past the door in a cat-like manner. If there were indeed intruder, he did not want to give away his presence. The element of surprise was usually an advantageous tool, especially when the opposition's numbers were greater that his own. Slowly, he slid down against the wall, crouched to his knee, and pulled the door open slowly. There was an unknown figure near the communications system.

Was it a spy? Most likely.

_'What's with the weird__, vibration-like__ movement? It's not a problem.'_

"Sergeant Weber!"

Sousuke walked into his apartment to find his roommate in the middle of handling '**big'** business. Hearing the noise, the blonde soldier jumped as if he had received an electric shock, losing the object in his grasp. A dirty magazine flew in the air and landed at Sousuke's feet. Kurtz Weber hit the ground hard.

Scowling, Sousuke approached his teammate, his pistol still drawn. A moment later, he regretted closing the distance. He had caught the culprit literally with his pants down. Groaning, Sousuke closed his eyes and backed off.

Embarrassed, Kurtz tried to diffuse the situation.

"Sousuke, I can explain!"

He held out his hand, which disgusted Sousuke further. The fact that his bottoms were still dangling near his knees did not help the situation.

"Unacceptable, Sergeant!" Sousuke turned tail and ran out.

"Wait, Sousuke!"

The blonde ran after his teammate, accidentally flashing the elderly neighbor during the chase. The elderly woman, thoroughly unimpressed, merely shrugged indifferently and continued on to the town hall for Bingo Night.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair returned to the apartment. Sousuke immediately shoved Kurtz in the bathroom and slammed the door in his face. Clearly Sousuke was a little disturbed about the whole thing.

"C'mon, Sousuke, can you really blame me? I have **URGES**! **MANLY**** URGES**!" He banged his fists on the door dramatically, all the while trying his best not to crack up at his own antics. The entire episode was just a big laugh to him. Sure, he was embarrassed at first, but now he had no problem joking about it.

He leaned his hear closer to the door.

"Until you improve your hygiene, I cannot let you out."

Kurtz frowned.

"Hmph. He's really bugging out about this," he said in sotto voice. Loudly, he replied, "Well, I might just take my sweet time in the shower, my boy. What do you think I'll be doing with all the spare time in my hands? I'll give you a hint, Sousuke. It's **NOT **to wash my hair!"

On the other side of the door, Sousuke dropped his pistol onto the wooden floor.

Laughing, Kurtz ran his hands through the faucet and used the anti-bacterial soap next to the knob. When he entered the living room, Sousuke was sitting on the couch with the pistol in his hand. He looked up and pointed the weapon at him.

"Whoa! Easy, soldier. I was just kidding." Kurtz held his hands up.

"I trust you followed my orders, Sergeant Weber," Sousuke asked, his voice steely and cold. When the blonde nodded, he lowered his pistol. "I will overlook this indiscretion and spare you from bodily harm, as I am in need of your counsel."

Nodding, Kurtz pulled the kitchen chair near the communications device and sat down. Resting his arms on the top of the chair, he motioned for Sousuke to proceed.

"I won't go in detail. A certain ANGEL has been showing signs of aggression and hostility towards me ever since the plan for the other mission was implemented. And I have been unable to reach a peaceful alternative with this individual, and I have even failed in my other mission with this person. I am uncertain of how to proceed forward."

Kurtz looked at his serious friend.

_'Translation: Okay, __Kaname's__ been quite jealous ever since I started flirting with other girls. I have talked to her, but she doesn't seem to understand me. I have failed to properly sweep her off her feet like I have done all the other girls, and now my head is being crushed between the cold, unforgiving concrete and lovely Miss __Chidori'__s__ foot.__'_

Kurtz shook his head. So his long-standing theory had been confirmed._  
_

"This is a judgment call, Sousuke. I do not have an answer for you. You must find out for yourself. What is more important to you, duty or love? Once you reach that realization, the course of action is obvious. Oh, yeah, and normally, these kind of things have a time limit. If you take too long to decide, you may end up losing both."

Sousuke nodded, taking the words to heart. He closed his eyes for a moment. Kurtz exhaled deeply and slumped on his chair. Both failed to realize the apartment now had a third guest.

"Did ya miss me, maggots?"


	6. Sousuke's Realization

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Last few weeks have been killer… Rated for crude language.

---

Silence loomed over the living room as Kurtz placed the platter of fried noodles and took his seat. He looked around the dinner table. On one side of the table was Sousuke, who wore his patented constipated expression while sweating up a storm. The presence of the Sergeant Major clearly touched a nerve. On the other side sat said Sergeant Major, who raised an eyebrow at the brunette's expression but nevertheless divvied up a portion and placed it upon her own plate. A rather large portion, Kurtz noted to his dismay.

Sousuke, on the other hand, was unaffected. The gears were turning at full throttle as he assessed the situation. His mission object was to display, to the best of his ability, his comprehension of the behavioral and ritualistic lifestyles of a normal civilian. One restriction was that Sergeant Major Mao was not to be aware of the mission. But who else could he turn to, besides Sergeant Weber? Instantly Kaname came to mind. But given his current status with the easily-irritable Whispered, that option went out the window. The guidelines dictated that he may sought aid from Weber only, but what about his other Mithril comrades? His next thought fell upon a particularly shy, Caucasian Captain. But knowing his superior's sensitivity to such daring topics, that option was placed at the bottom.

Sousuke thought harder, frustration starting to set in. Who else?

Commander Markudas? That option was placed dead last, right behind the Captain. Sousuke shuddered at the thought of asking the cold, sarcastic Second-in-Command how to resolve his current relationship with the Whispered candidate he was protecting. Anything other than the terms 'protect' or 'bodyguard' would mean a trip down to the lower level of the Da Daanan, where he would be placed in solitary inside a spare torpedo tube. Sousuke had NOT forgotten that threat.

Lietenant Commander Kalinin? That seemed the most fitting option. After all, the tough, old Russian was a father figure of sorts for the young mercenary. Sousuke had not forgotten the numerous years they had spent together in Afghanistan. After all, it was common for teenage boys his age to turn to their father for advice on dealing with the opposite sex.

If only…

"Hey, Sousuke." Mao waved her hand in front of the Sergeant's face. "Are you gonna eat up or what?" She looked at the remaining portion of the fried noodles, her eyes giving away her true intentions. Her stomach pined for more. "It really wasn't enough to feed three, Weber. How bout you let your older sister take you out to eat, Sousuke?" She smiled genially, hoping to get a reaction from her self-proclaimed younger brother. When he shook his head to indicate he wasn't hungry, the older woman frowned. "Geez, what is up with you, Sergeant Grumpy? How can you turn down an invitation to eat out with me?" Noticing her blonde underling jump up from the corner of her eyes, she added, "Make one joke about what I just said, Weber, and you'll find yourself face-down on the street in one second flat."

Kurtz, who was about to make a joke about fellatio, closed his mouth. He was not about to risk getting thrown out of the window from the fifth floor. Knowing the Sergeant Major's notorious temper just added to the reality of the threat. Pouting, he took a long draught from the beer can and sighed. "You know me well, Sis."

She dismissed the comment, deciding she was too tired to put the loud-mouthed sniper in his place. Instead, she turned to Sousuke, who was still deep in thought, and placed a slip of paper under his hand. "New code for the connection line with TDD-1. Call in and check for updates from Command."

Sousuke nodded, perusing the contents. Pushing off from the table, he made his way towards the communications device and sat down. Before he put on the ear muffs, he turned around to his fellow teammate. "Kurtz, you haven't fully improved your hygiene since this afternoon's incident." The blonde brushed it off and ignored the brunette completely. Unfazed, Sousuke resumed. "I suggest you hop to it, soldier. You wouldn't want Sergeant Major Mao to discover her missing undergarments in your overnight duffle bag."

Kurtz froze. _'How the hell did he know?'_

Defeated, he walked out of the living room. Now alone, Sousuke situated the muffs upon his ears before entering the coordinates. In an instant, the land line connected to the main operative.

"This is Urz-7. Requesting connection to Lieutenant Commander Kalinin's quarters."

"Operative to Urz-7. Opening line to the Da Daanan. Stand by." The woman's voice drifted off as the line was completely silent. Sousuke waited patiently until the click on the end of the receptor signaled the opening of the communication line.

"This is Perth-1. Urz-7, what is your current position?"

"On standby, sir! Kal– no, disregard. Perth-1, is the line secure?"

"Yes, Sergeant. Go ahead."

From the table, Sousuke turned around and scanned the room. The door to his bedroom was closed. Mao was already fast asleep in Sousuke's moderate sized cot. The water was still running in the bathroom, which meant that Kurtz was still in the shower. Walking over to the closed door, he fitted a chair underneath the knob. It would buy him a few spare minutes. It wouldn't be much, but it was better than nothing.

"Lieutenant Commander, I find myself currently in a dilemma pertaining to my mission in Tokyo."

On the other line, the old Russian officer frowned. He cleared his throat. "Continue, Sergeant."

"Sir! It has come to my attention that my performance in the field has been inadequate, especially when it comes to my duty to Angel."

"Lacking?" On the other line, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin smiled, shaking his head. "In what ways, Sergeant? Are your skills as a soldier failing?" He asked severely. Of course the old officer knew what was going on. He had to make sure that his surrogate son did too.

"N-Negative, sir! A professional never allows his skills to dull! What I meant to say is that I cannot seem to evaluate the situation to maximum potential whenever Angel is in present company. Miscommunications during these circumstances are common, if not mandatory for the situation. Disarray and pandemonium usually follow shortly thereafter. My ability to carry out the mission is compromised by my inadequacy in certain aspects that are foreign to any professional soldier."

"And what, Sergeant, are these aspects? Be specific."

"Sir! These aspects pertain to trivialities that are impertinent to a soldier. Emotions, sir. The ability to deal with fluctuating personalities. It has come to my attention that my shortcoming in this aspect has impaired my abilities as a soldier."

The line stopped for a brief moment. Sousuke waited for further confirmation. The line opened up after a few minutes.

"Sergeant, what exactly were your intentions when you redrafted your contract with Mithril? To my recollection, you allowed the organization to cut your pay in half in exchange for your continual participation on the Chidori mission. Correct?"

"Sir!"

"Ponder this notion, Sergeant. Do you care for Kaname Chidori in more than just the professional manner? Do you consider her a recipient for your affection? Do you ever wonder if she will do the same for you?"

Sousuke clicked off the microphone for a moment. Staring at his reflection in the glass sliding door, his mind instantly directed him into Hong Kong. He had jumped out of the fourth story window, narrowing avoiding the blast from Gauron's room. The bright red hatchback had broken his fall, but his will and resolved had already been destroyed when the psychotic bastard convinced him that Kaname Chidori died at the hands of Yuilan. He remembered the exact words he had said when he stared lifelessly at the shard of glass that had landed in front of him.

_"I had no future to begin with.__Killing indiscriminately…Dying indiscriminately.__ Humans are nothing but lumps of flesh.__"_

Corporal Yang's words followed: _"Do you know __those are the same words terrorists use?"_

What was he without Kaname? Just a tool, a weapon to be used to its fullest destructive potential. And when obsolete, tossed aside without a spare afterthought. Without Kaname, he was Kashim, the unmerciful weapon of God. The idol of which whom Gauron had such fantasies of being killed by.

He remembered Yang's next words: _"A soldier who has lost his soul is no different from an assassin."_

Assassin…it was a fitting description of what he had become the moment all his hopes and dreams were lost. The five bullets in Gauron's cold central torso were evidence of his rampage.

No, Kaname was not just a mission. She was much more than that. Kaname was no ordinary girl, and not because of her Whispered status either. It was much more personal than that. Kaname Chidori was… precious to Sousuke.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. I understand what I must do."

"Know this. We all stray from our path from time to time. It takes a genuine man to admit his mistakes and confront the problem head on. Like I said before, Sergeant, you have the face of a man now. I will treat you to something soon."

"Sir!"

"Good luck, Sergeant. End transmission."

Sighing, Sousuke pulled off his headphones and turned off the communications tuner. He sat there for a while, thinking back on the conversation. Smiling softly, he switched off the living room lights and retired on the sofa.

The room was pitch dark for a few minutes until the bathroom door opened widely. The light from the bathroom illuminated the darkness of the apartment complex. Kurtz Weber emerged from the light, a knowing smile on his face. Sousuke, who was still awake, caught only a second of a glimpse until the room went back to its pitch black state. Realization dawned upon him more than the brightest sunrise ever could.

Anger swelled up in his chest. He would deal with his blonde comrade later.

---

Breakfast was an uncomfortable affair, to say the least. The Sergeant Major was still asleep in the bedroom, so Kurtz and Sousuke were sitting face-to-face on opposite sides of the dining table. Sousuke, still on pins about the school day, hoped for a quiet and relaxing morning. Kurtz, however, had other plans.

"So spill it already, soldier? Are you gonna pull the trigger today or what?"

With his right hand, he extended his index and middle finger outwards while his thumb mimicked the release action of the trigger. "**BANG**!" The blonde soldier pulled his hand back, the recoil action adding to the realism. With a grin, he placed his gun hand closer to his lips and blew on the two fingers that acted as the gun barrel. "**OH YEAH**!"

"You do not have a Need to Know, Sergeant Weber," said Sousuke, taking a bite out of his toast.

"Like Hell I don't," Kurtz scowled, spinning the Glock 17 on the table surface. It stopped on the young man across from him. Kurtz grinned toothily. The day was just beginning. No way was he going to let up on his friend THAT easily…

"So what are these flower for, then?" Pulling the dozen roses from underneath the sink cabinet, he waved the incriminating object in from of Sousuke's face.

Blushing, Sousuke turned away, his eyes closed. "It is just a gift for Miss Chidori tonight."

Kurtz's smile widened. "AHHH…so it's for Kaname! Now we're getting somewhere. So will you be taking fair lady out on a **DATE**?"

Sousuke coughed, but his composure was unshaken.

"Affirmative."

Laughing, Kurtz hollered an incoherent cheer. So his plan had WORKED! Besides himself in joy, he neglected to realize that his celebration had caused his slumber Commanding Officer to awake from her sleep. And Melissa Mao did NOT take kindly to be woken up so unceremoniously.

"**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ****FUCK****TARDS GOING ON ABOUT SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?! GODDAMNIT, I SWEAR IF I HEAR ONE MO****RE SYLLABLE UTTERED FROM YOU PUSS****IES, I'LL**** PERSONAL COME OUT AND SHOVE A FUCK****ING ROD UP YOUR A****SS****ES! C'MON, YOU MOTHERF****UCK****ERS! I'LL BUST YOUR B****A****LLS SO HARD THAT NO WOMAN WILL EVER ****FUCK**** YOU EVER AGAIN! YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF BEATIN' YOUR ME****A****T!**"

(Crazy tirade inspired by an episode in Fumoffu! where Sousuke is employed to whip up the Rugby Club from the biggest bunch of excuses for men into mean, lean, fighting machines. Definitely worth watching if you don't mind the language)

Sousuke looked pointedly at Kurtz, who smiled nervously and sat back down. Lowering his voice down a few decibels, he continued his verbal assault on his friend.

"So today's the day, huh? What do you have planned? C'mon, you can tell me, old friend. Wait, let me guess. A romantic dinner at an upper crust restaurant, followed by a nightcap at her place, where you will confess your undying love and affection for our blue-haired angel. Followed by a whole night of messy love making!" Kurtz was too involved in his fabrication that he didn't notice Sousuke shaking his head the entire time.

"Negative, Sergeant. I –" But he was cut off.

"Oh, **KA-NA-ME**, will you accept my feelings?" Kurtz continued, mimicking Sousuke's deep and serious voice. He leaned back in the chair lazily, both eyes shut with a look of bliss on his face.

"**KURTZ**! That's hardly –"

"**YES, SOUSUKE, I WILL**!" Now adopting a higher pitch in voice to match Kaname's, Kurtz wrapped his arms around himself and wiggled about, making it look like he was making out with someone.

Having endured enough, Sousuke pushed back Kurtz's chair with his foot, causing the unsuspecting soldier to topple over. Running around the table, Sousuke grabbed his Glock 17 on his way to his supine comrade. Shoving his knee into the blonde's torso, he placed the tip of his pistol on the side of Kurtz's temple.

"Sousuke, my boy, I was just kidding!" Kurtz laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of him. He didn't expect his friend to act up so violently. But then again, for Kaname, Sousuke would do just about anything.

"Like the **MISSION**, correct?" Sousuke whispered dangerously, his bangs covering his steely eyes from view.

Kurtz's eyes widened in horror.

"How did you –"

Sousuke chuckled lowly, his gun still trained on his friend. His eyes flashed dangerously as he applied more pressure to Kurtz's torso.

"It made sense after a while. First I wondered why Commander Markudas would would request that I endure such a trivial evaluation when all that idiot expects from me is to carry out orders like a pet dog. The second indication is your interest in my affairs with Miss Chidori. Now, any last words, Sergeant?"

For once, Kurtz was actually uncertain whether his friend was joking or not. Then again, since when did Sousuke ever joke around?

Sousuke noticed a pair of amethyst eyes in the cracks of the ajar bedroom door and his stance softened. He would allow his Commanding Officer to deal with his unruly comrade.

_'Here it comes…'_

Kurtz squeezed his eyes shut, praying for forgiveness for his sins so he could ascend upwards instead of the antithesis, or at the very least retain his boyish good looks in his next life.

Then nothingness. The pressure on his chest was leaving. The cold metal of the pistol barrel was gone. Was he dead? He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. The apartment door was slightly ajar. Sousuke had left for school.

"I'm alive."

Kurtz patted his body down to be sure he wasn't dreaming. Laughing, he went over to the toaster to retrieve his warm, inviting breakfast. Doing a once-over in the fridge, he noticed a head of lettuce, a few tomatoes, a package of pepper jack cheese, and roast beef. Gathering all the ingredients onto the kitchen counter, he started cutting up the lettuce. Nothing better than a tasty sandwich after a brush-in with Death, right?

As he turned to retrieve the tomato, he found himself face to face with the female incarnation of the Grim Reaper.

"Big Sis…" He said nervously, his hands trembling violently.

Mao, who was tossing the red vegetable (or fruit) up and down in the air, looked lazily at her underling.

"Sooo…what was the mission Sousuke was just talking about, Kurtz?" she asked innocently, with no indication of the violence, bloodshed, and all the rated R substances that made all meaningless action flicks worth the admission price.

Kurtz dropped the knife, which landed on its point millimeters from his bare foot.

Oh, yeah. He was in trouble.

---

A/N: Next chapter will probably be the last of the series. It will take some time until the next installment so bear with me. Please Review. Thanks.


	7. Trip

A/N: Sorry about the delay. School has been absolute killer! Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. I plan to finish this story soon and post the next installment of the series next year. Thanks for bearing with this procrastinating writer. Have a great Christmas everyone! Enjoy!

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The window was open. The cool air spring air entered the apartment, filling the open space with a feeling of zest and passion that did not fit the mood of the blue-haired tenant. The birds outside chirped happily as they traveled from one branch to another, taking in the tranquil atmosphere of the morning. Suddenly, the sound of a hormonal teenage girl's booming voice interrupted the conventionally serene morning rituals of these harmless winged vertebrates.

"**ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME?!**"

Kaname stood in disbelief, a frenzied look spread across her face. Sousuke Sagara, the main reason for her massive loss of brain cells, stood in front of the doorway. It was a weekday, yet he was not wearing his usual school uniform, which consisted of slacks and a short sleeved buttoned up shirt. However, he did carry a duffle bag, but the contents were hardly school-related.

Not expecting the initial reaction of the girl in front of him, Sousuke winced, cowering his head slightly to impede the high octave resonance from traveling to his ears, but to no avail. He could already anticipate the dreaded ringing reverberations in his ears.

"No, Kaname. Of all people, you should know that I would never resort to deceitful tactics, no matter the circumstance. I will repeat myself again. Kaname, will you accompany me on my mission?"

Kaname looked at him, her visage turning from a look of disbelief to disgust. "Why? Does Captain I'm-Such-An-Innocent-and-Loveable-Klutz want to see me? Is that all there is to your life? **MITHRIL**?" She emphasized the last part scathingly, her rage momentarily shifting from the soldier to the secret organization. "As if I really do have a say in the matter…"

"No." Sousuke looked crossly at Kaname, subconsciously repressing the lump in his throat that had seemingly sprang into existence after hearing the girl's retort. He was deeply hurt that the Whispered girl would attack the same organization that had sent him to protect her, and even more so with her belief that he was just a puppet whose actions were not of his own volition. "This has nothing to do with them. I am asking you personally to come with me. You do have the option of turning me down, Kaname."

He stood at attention, with both arms placed firmly behind his back.

Kaname studied the young soldier in front of him. His face was masked with such contrasting forces. He looked resolute, yet indecisive; confident, yet uncertain; protected, yet vulnerable. He carried himself rigidly as dictated in the doctrines of most military traditions, yet his head hung lowly as if he were waiting for an inevitable verdict to be passed onto him. His helplessness appealed to her better half. Sighing, she placed her hand onto her forehead, proceeding to guide her hand up as to life up her bangs from her forehead.

"What's the catch, Sousuke?" she asked finally, looking tiredly at the young man. Knowing Sousuke Sagara and his dangerous tendencies, she had to gauge how hostile his proposition was going to be.

Sousuke looked at her, confused.

"Catch, Kaname? I was not aware that you threw anything at me."

Sousuke looked over his shoulders, as if expecting to locate the phantom object. He looked so clueless that Kaname couldn't help but put up with it.

"Is there going to be anything dangerously otaku about where you want to take me?"

"Kaname? My number one priority is to ensure your safety. I would never place you in harm's way."

Kaname scoffed, but couldn't help but find a warm sense of reassurance from his words. So what if he had gotten her in situations where her life was at stake? At least he had meant well. That was all that mattered.

Yeah, right…

"Are there going to be any gun battles?"

Sousuke shifted the hilt of the pistol that was digging into his flesh. "Not if everything goes accordingly to plan."

"That's reassuring," she remarked sarcastically. "Any explosions or massive ArmSlave battles?"

"We will be passing by Okinawa. Naturally the Army will be conducting piloting training. But no, I will not participate in such exploits."

"Not unless you find the impulse to put on that mascot outfit of that ArmSlave." Mentally, she pictured Sousuke in the box-shaped costume he had donned in order to help Mr. Kazama, Shinji's father, win some ArmSlave competition. She was barely able to suppress her mirth. "Rogue terrorist groups? A21? KGB? Amalgam?"

Sousuke thought for a moment. "I do not know the intentions of those organizations, but Intel hasn't raised any red flags about any terrorist activities near the place we are going."

"I see…so that's still a maybe." Kaname thought for a moment. A shiny glint in Sousuke's bag caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes. "Will you use your gun?"

"If the situation calls for it, but only if you are directly in danger," was Sousuke's immediate reply.

Kaname rubbed her temples. "Just tell it to me straight. What is the most unavoidable risk, Sousuke?"

"The only certain danger is our participation grade in class. We will be missing school for the day. However, since it is only for one day, our absence will not have a significant impact on our overall grade. That is the only certain risk. Would you like me to research the statistics of automobile accidents and plane crashes in the greater Tokyo area?"

"N-N-No, that… is… **NOT**… n-necessary," Kaname said through gritted teeth. Though the MITHRIL Sergeant had meant well in furthering her knowledge on the "potential" (with Sousuke, for damn **CERTAIN**) risks of the trip, the blue-haired girl could not shake the implied patronizing manner in which Sousuke had spoken towards her. Sighing, she shook her head slowly. Stray strands of her brilliant teal-colored hair fell upon her face. She brushed them away.

_'I **HAVE **to be a glutton for punishment__ to do this_' she thought ruefully as she found her answer just by looking into Sousuke's chocolate-brown eyes.

"All right, Sousuke. I'll go," she sighed, throwing her arms up in defeat.

Souske nodded crisply, extending out his arm to hand her a list he had made for the trip.

"Affirmative. Take ten minutes to pack the following items." He stomped his foot and, bringing both feet together, stood rigidly at attention.

Shaking her head, Kaname completely ignored the young Sergeant's antics and closed the door in his face.

---

Kaname sat down on her bed. Sunlight entered through the narrow gaps between the blinds. The light illuminated the otherwise dark room with the bright morning radiance. She mussed over her hair, frustration.

"Ughh, what is that idiot **THINKING**?" she wondered aloud, closing her eyes as she leaned her back into the soft bed surface. She opened her eyes again and looked worriedly at the discriminating piece of paper. A certain request on the list immediately caught her attention. _A condom or lubricant if __it__ can be obtained at your leisure; both if possible._

Kaname balled up the scrap of paper hurriedly, threw the make-shift feather-weight projectile into an open drawer, and slammed the same drawer shut. Her whole body suddenly felt hot and she knew that she was redder than a tomato at this point. She looked at the cabinet that housed the blasphemous object. Just what exactly was he playing at? Of course she was indignant at the military malcontent's brash and forward request, but she was not as furious at it as she should be. Instead, she was feeling another emotion: joy. Joy at the thought that Sousuke Sagara, the number one clueless idiot on the face of the planet and seasoned expert at beating-around-the-bush-and-never-showing-his-true-feelings, was willing to make his intentions for her known. Not that anyone could really blame him, either. Nearly two thirds of the male population at Jindai High wanted to jump her bones. It wasn't something she was extremely proud of, but merely a fact. After all, she was an attractive young woman. The boys at her school were hormone-driven animals that would probably shag anything that could shake its derriere and wasn't nailed to the ground. On second thought, that would make the whole process easier…

Kaname shook her head.

_'But __Sousuke's__ not like those other boys. There must be other forces driving his actions. Physical attraction is the last thing on his mind. Or is that poor sucker simply in love with me or something?'_

She blushed at the thought, knowing full well that she had no room to tease. After all, she has had feelings for the emotional brick wall known as Sousuke Sagara for nearly a year now. If he were to confess, who knows how she would take it? That would be the equivalent of letting an untamed beast out of its cage.

Awkwardly, she made her way to her underwear drawer. Pushing an array of colorful delicates to one side, her hand roamed about the bottom of the drawer, jerking spastically once she felt the square-shaped packaging's circular interior texture. Slowly, Kaname withdrew her hand. She looked at the object warily. While the school required its students to have a thoroughly knowledge in matters pertaining to copulation, Kaname found herself more than a bit unprepared. Honestly, she was only seventeen! Then again, statistically speaking, nearly fifty percent of all girls in the country would lose their virginity before they reach their seventeenth birthday.

Shaking her head, Kaname shut the cabinet drawer shut.

_'Just who does he think he is?'_ she thought angrily, shoving the remaining objects into her duffle bag. "I'm giving that idiot a piece of my mind!" Giving the wooden compartment one last dirty glance, she threw her luggage over her shoulder and made her exit.

---

Kaname looked around the military mini-transport helicopter, evaluating the inexplicable faith she had in the young man sitting next to her. The interior of the craft was hardly what most sane individuals would call comfortable, with Teflon and canvass etching the walls and synthetic-based nets hanging on the ceilings, burdening numerous unidentifiable boxes that appeared shadier than a dark alley at midnight. Turning her head, she shot Sousuke a look of upmost loathing.

"Nothing otaku, huh?" she seethed, her eyes trained upon the accused. She clenched hard on the drink in her hand, but luckily for her it was hard plastic, which saved her from a nasty encounter with the sticky carbonated liquid.

Unfazed, Sousuke looked down on his watch wrist. Nodding to himself, he excused himself before leaving the compartment.

"Sousuke, wait –"

But he was gone.

Leaning back forcefully, Kaname folded her arms and cursed.

"Could this get any worse?"

Her answer came in the form of low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and a rapid variation pressure and velocity. The compartment quaked violently, sending the contents of her plastic container suspended in midair, right above Kaname. For a brief moment, gravity allowed the dark liquid to elevate slightly as the plane performed a sudden nosedive. Unable to react due to the amount of pressure placed on her body, Kaname could only watch in horror as the plane, as well as gravity, stabilized in its course.

Coldness took precedent above all other physical states.

Kaname was drenched from head to toe. Feeling a sudden increase in tension and potential genocide of brain cells, she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Get ahold of yourself, girl," she said, quietly counting backwards from ten. The compartment door slid open and Sousuke reappeared, holding two orange packs. Ignoring his presence completely, Kaname resumed her countdown.

_'5……'_

"We are approaching the RZ point, Miss Chidori. Please, put this on!"

Kaname made no effort to pay attention. She stood up and took another deep breath. Her eyes were squeezed shut in concentration.

_'4……'_

"Umm, it's not a problem. I'll assist you," Sousuke continued, fitting the floatation device over her head and making the proper adjustments. He examined the girl carefully, mentally berating himself forgetting to mention that they would be jumping from the craft. After all, it was only a short swim to the island. Miss Chidori was an apt swimmer. Looking down, albeit with much self restraint, his eyes traveled from her bosom to the plastic clasps. Shaking his head, Sousuke brought the two ends together.

_'3……'_

Taking note of his provisions, Sousuke slung both his and Kaname's luggage around his own shoulders. He slammed his fist on the cockpit door. The posterior of the craft groaned, and rays of sunlight entered the dimly lit compartment.

_'2……'_

Sousuke took Kaname's arm, with moderate difficulty, and steered the Whispered girl towards the opening.

_'1……'_

"We're jumping, Kaname."

Kaname opened her eyes and found herself staring into the deep blue of the majestic Pacific. She turned to look at Sousuke. "Ehh?" Immediately noticing the orange life vest donned by both herself and the idiot, her stomach performed a somersault.

Sousuke, however, had strategically placed his hand on Kaname's back.

Kaname, aware of the Sergeant's intentions, wore a horrified expression.

"Sousuke, you I-I-I-D-D-D-I-I-O-O-"

Before she could finish her sentence, both high school students were immersed in the Pacific waters.

---

A/N: Next chapter should be up pretty soon. Scout's honor! Well, I was never a Boy Scout...but it will be up soon. Review!


	8. Kalinin's Treat

A/N: FINALLY! This is the last chapter of this story. The second installment of this series, as mentioned before, will be a lot more serious and follows the FMP!/TSR mood. Also, just a warning, this chapter is kind of sappy and cheesy romantic. A lot of self-realizations, awakening feelings, etc. You get the idea.

---

After much splashing about and several attempts to drown a certain MITHRIL Sergeant, Kaname agreed on a mutual cease-fire with Sousuke and the two walked up the shoreline. As fate would have it, they had arrived right in between the two ends of the island. Kaname looked around, taking notice of the untamed undergrowth, which composed of trees and shrubbery indigenous to the area. The island was relatively minute in size, and the lack of construction indicated the land was probably uncharted as well.

On her left, Sousuke quickened his pace, shouldering both his and Kaname's luggage. He turned back and motioned for the blue-haired girl to keep up, which prompted a hard seashell to collide with the back of his head. Fortunately, it wasn't the rainstorm season or else the beach would be littered with substantially durable objects. Thank God for small miracles…

"You can be as big of an idiot as Kurtz sometimes, you know," she said scathingly, trudging heavily through the sand.

---

Back in Tokyo, a supine, mummy-like figure with blonde hair protruding out of the bandage wrappings and cast sneezed violently on its hospital bed, rocking its body tumultuously as its suspended arms and legs shifted away from their comfort position. It screamed in pain, yelling incoherent demands at the tall, purple-eyed candy striper. The short haired nurse smiled mischievously and continued flipping through her magazine.

---

As they entered the thickly, foliage-ridden forest, Sousuke pulled a machete from his duffle bag and turned back again. "Miss Chidori, please take a few steps back." Kaname stared momentarily, but relented to his request. After several precision swings, the trail revealed a reasonably clear path. They continued on through the uncultivated vegetation for several minutes until they reached the end of the trail. Sunlight loomed brightly overhead as Kaname stepped out of the forest. She brought her hand up and shielded her face from the sudden beams of light. Her eyes had yet to adjust to the sudden intensity of the light spectrum.

Sousuke dropped the bags unceremoniously on the side and sank down on the ground. Kaname followed suite, dropping down softly onto the soft earth. She drew in a deep sigh and hung her head to the side, subconsciously leaning on the shoulders of the young man next to her. Noticing the previous tension between him and Kaname dissipating, Sousuke relaxed, resting his cheek on top of the blue-haired girl's head.

They sat there for a moment, both taken deeply in each other's warmth and company.

No words were exchanged, nor were they necessary. Nothing else in the world mattered at this point. No duty or responsibility from being a member of MITHRIL's Special Response Team. At least for now, the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The past was forgotten, and the future undetermined. This was strictly in the now, living in the present, spur of the moment…the possibilities were limitless.

Sousuke exhaled softly, breathing in the girl's sweet scent.

It was then that he truly understood what Lieutenant Commander Kalinin had hinted at during their last broadcast. What Kurtz and Melissa - both jokingly, of course - had tried to help him realize for the past year. What Captain Testarossa had been so worried about during the Hong Kong raid.

It was time to own up to his feelings for the Whispered girl. _'The loud, pugnacious, irascible…No.'_ Sousuke shook his head. Those were not just characterizations of Kaname Chidori. It was only during his own blunders that brought out that side of Kaname. _'The patient, brave__ independent,__ responsible, magnanimous, at times quick to jump to conclusions, but nevertheless altruistic.'_ Not to mention – dare he say – **LOVEABLE** nature of Kaname Chidori.

Sousuke shook his head again.

No. Truth be told, he was enamored with ALL sides of the blue-haired angel. It wasn't just her strong points, or her shortcomings. His feelings toward her encompassed all of the above. Her strong will allowed him the luxury of not worrying about her every single action. Her willingness to assume responsibilities outside the field of combat reduced his stress level and optimized his performance in his specialty. And while her negative sides were usually provoked by his indiscretions, it served as an indicator of his insufficiencies as a civilian. Failures and hurdles that, time and again, she would help him overcome.

And – God willing – she would continue to do so even after the conclusion of the Tokyo assignment.

---

For what seemed like an eternity of tranquility, Kaname felt a slight movement in Sousuke's shoulder. She looked up at his face, tilting her head in wonder. Sousuke opened his eyes and looked down towards her. Their eyes locked for a moment until she broke the contact, pouting. "You're still not off the hook from before, Mister," she muttered, turning her attention away from him.

And then, Sousuke did something that threw her completely out of focus.

He chuckled.

"My apologies, Kaname," he said, standing up and brushing off his pants. Totally oblivious to the incredulous look on Kaname's face, he pulled several components of a makeshift tent out of his duffle bag and began to set up camp. Once a sizeable tent was pitched, Sousuke unlocked his tackle box and placed the bait on the fish hook before casting his line out. Looking back into the forest, Kaname tapped on Sousuke's shoulder. "I'll bring back some wood, all right?"

Sousuke nodded and was about to tell her not to wander off too far when he felt a hard tug on his line.

When Kaname came back, an armful of wicker in hand, it was nearing sundown. Sousuke sat on the same log, busy de-scaling two generously sized mackerels. Kaname noticed the circular shape of the campfire and placed her collection in the middle. Finding matches in one of the bags, it was not long until they had a good campfire going. Sousuke found two sharp pike-like sticks and skewered his previous works before placing them close to the fire.

Kaname looked impressed. Leaning back, she took in the beautifully orange vista of the sunset. She closed her eyes, intent on burning the image in her memory forever, until the smell of cooked fish brought her out of her thoughts.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, looking at the setting sun as it was nearing the end of the vantage point. She reached for her cooked fish. With her peripherals, she saw Sousuke nodding his head slightly. He too was lost in his thoughts.

"Do you remember this place, Kaname?" he asked, rotating the stick sporadically. Kaname turned to face him, a small smile playing across her face. How could she not? It was after the Gauron incident on the Tuatha de Daanan. What he said that day still echoed in her mind: _'When I'm with you, I feel like I can do anything. Like I can catch a few fish and I can escape from a horrible danger. Only thirty minutes… will you stay with me?'_

She nodded.

"Remember that whopper of a fish we caught?" he asked, recalling the enormous catch. It was one of the largest he had ever come across. Kaname smiled, nodding again. Sousuke looked down at his dinner for a moment before continuing, "I asked you to stay with me and you did. And we reeled it in together. I really did feel like I could accomplish anything as long as you are with me. But now…" He trailed off, diverting his eyes away from her. The lump in his throat appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and his heart was pounding in his chest. Finding himself absolutely parched, he drained the remaining bottle of water. Why couldn't he just spill it? He shook his head.

Kaname smiled sadly. "It's okay, Sousuke. I understand."

Sousuke looked up, startled. "You do?"

Kaname smiled fakely. As much as it would hurt her, she had to accept the fact that Sousuke no longer felt the same way she did about him. And it was all right. He had done more than enough for her already. How many times had he saved her life? He was her bodyguard and friend. He was generous enough to devote so much time into her that he had to place his own life on hold. And who was she to decide that he would be interested in her? He was a catch, no doubt about that. And a good friend too. Asking more from him would be selfish on her part.

"I just want you to know that I will always be your friend, Sousuke." She bit on her lip to keep from trembling.

"A…friend…?" Sousuke reverted back to Kurtz's lectures on the friend zone. The seemingly bottomless pit that was impossible to climb out of once one entered the domain. In terms of maritime tracking, a phantom, nonexistent blimp on a woman's radar. In other terms, he was an absolute non-factor to Kaname. "I see…"

"I know that half the girls in class are interested in you, and I'm fine with it," Kaname continued, again with a fake smile plastered on her face. "You are a great guy. I should've seen it earlier, but it's my loss. So don't worry about me, okay? Don't hold back for me, Sousuke, because you deserve whatever you want. Don't…" She ducked from view. The conversation was just too painful. The emotional dam exploded as she felt an infinite supply of tears surge from her eyes. _'At least he was nice enough to take me out here again and tell me the truth…'_

Slowly, she recovered some of her composure and, amid some hiccupping, she managed to finish her final sentiment. "Don't – _hic_ – worry about – _hic_ – m-me." She smiled timidly, cursing herself for being so weak.

Sousuke, though uncomfortable, was thoroughly confused. Standing up, he pulled Kaname face-first into his chest. "Is this what you really think, Miss Chidori? That I can do better than you? That I have completely forgotten about my feelings regarding you?" He placed his hand on the back of her head and ruffled her head affectionately. "I'm sorry…I may have misled you earlier. Please, hear me out. Let me finish what I have to say."

He gently pushed her away from their embrace so that they stared into each other's eyes. The campfire flames danced brilliantly in her chocolate-brown eyes. Her soft skin, though tested under severe circumstances, looked soft and fragile, like porcelain. The full moon was bright and stood out in the star-ridden night sky, but it paled in comparison to Kaname's beauty and radiance. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and took a moment to collect himself before continuing, "Back then, I felt like I could accomplish anything as long as you were with me. I was foolish then." He took a deep breath before continuing, "But now I realize that when you're with me, I've accomplished everything in life." He paused for a brief moment, letting the words sink in. It was the first time he heard himself articulate his feelings into words. "Will you stay with me?"

The look on Kaname's face turned from stunned to joyous as she cried out, throwing her arms around his neck. Sousuke returned the embrace, rubbing the midsection of her back. "I'm glad that you feel the same way, Kaname."

Tired from the commotion, Kaname led Sousuke into the pitched tent and slid into her sleeping bag. Before Sousuke followed suite, he remembered that he'd finished the last of their water supply. He searched around frantically for the plastic bottle, but to no avail. He must've accidentally discarded the container earlier. He looked underneath the covers, searching for anything that could be used to hold liquid. Kaname, noticing the young man's frantic movements, sat up from her sleeping bag. "What's wrong, Sousuke?"

Turning about, Sousuke leaned towards Kaname. Bringing himself down to meet her eye to eye, he whispered hurriedly, "Did you bring the condom?"

How he managed to survive the drop into the rocky shoreline below the cliff was beyond anyone's comprehension.

THE END

---

A/N: I wanted to post this on the next chapter, but decided to just conjoin the two chapters together. Yeah, I have that superpower. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world…except world peace. Who the hell am I kidding? Sorry, it's 3:38 in the morning and I'm still up for some reason. Okay. This is the final conclusion to this story. My next installment to the series will be after this story and will be a serious piece (but not without comic reliefs and whatnot). I think the Epilogue will play well into the dynamics of the next story so enjoy!

(Bonus) Epilogue: Kalinin's Treat

It had been nearly four months since he brought the spirited young woman to his secret fishing spot where he revealed his special feelings towards her, which she, in turn, reciprocated. While most of Jindai High was still in shock of the couple, Sgt. Major Melissa Mao and Sgt. Weber were not surprised about the union. Captain Testarossa, on the other hand, was still recovering from her disbelief. MITHRIL brass chose to overlook the indiscretion, and even Tuatha de Daanan's second-in-command Commander Richard Markudas, with much effort, tolerated his subordinate's decision. If anything, the old British Admiral was more concerned about the young Captain's welfare than the mildly taboo relationship between the trigger-happy Sergeant and his ward.

But deep down, no one was happier to see the two together than Lieutenant Commander Andrei Kalinin. Having lost his own family to war years ago, the old Russian soldier considered Sousuke as his surrogate son. He had watched the young, unremitting assassin known mainly as Kashim grow up to become a less serious, more _human_, and for the most part, well-adjusted young man. Sure, Sousuke had his faults, but compared to the child prodigy who lived off gunpowder and bloodshed…

Kalinin smiled, pondering the unwritten future of his subordinate.

The old soldier sat outside of his villa, overlooking the beautiful Spanish countryside. The breathtaking orange sunset, offset by the creamy pallid transition that hung over the setting sun, reminded him of the importance of life. How fleeting the life of a human being was, the evanescent state of such a priceless and invaluable commodity. He had fought many battles in his time and had lost many people in his life, civilians and comrades alike whose time he had spent with seemed like seconds compared to the many years he'd remembered and continued to remember them in his memories. Even his enemies, evil men who swore to take his life and that of those he loved, lived on in his memories. Once their time in the world of the living ended, his enemies, in his eyes, were no more than individuals who he had dueled valiantly against, and in the end, stood triumphantly over. Evil or good, they all met the same fate.

Kalinin looked down at the object in his lap when he heard the sounds of footsteps echoing throughout the interior of his villa. He stood up and motioned the dark figure to come join him in the foyer. From the dying sunset's fading beams revealed the man's countenance, which had been shrouded by shadow.

"Sousuke," he addressed, walking over to the finely set table.

"Sir!" Sousuke saluted, holding his hand to the table and stomping his feet at attention. Noticing the relaxed demeanor of the elder man, he dropped his hand and stood at ease, spreading his feet a few inches apart and slacking slightly in his composure. From his black backpack, he procured the report of his most recent mission. He walked over to the table and placed the stack of papers underneath the basket of bread. He stood in front of his superior, waiting for a response.

Kalinin waved his hand.

"At ease, soldier." He motioned towards the vacant, handily-crafted chair. "Please, take a seat."

Sousuke nodded and sat down. He looked around quizzically, taking note of the environment. Though he had known the older man sitting across from him for most of his young life, it was then that he realized that he knew nothing about his personal life other than the fact that the old Russian had lost his family during his days with the KGB. He looked at the man whom he considered a father, who at the moment was pouring wine into his glass. The carefree nature of the whole situation puzzled the younger man.

Kalinin set the bottle down. Gesturing at the elegantly set dishes in front of them, he said, with a much lighter tone not commonly heard, "Please help yourself. As you may have already guessed, you are not here on business. I have invited you into my home as a guest, Sousuke. The hierarchy of command does not exist here; we are equals, brothers. Now, let us enjoy this meal." He pulled off the metal covering of the dish in front of him, allowing the steam and aroma of the freshly cooked meal to entice his senses. "I do request one errand," he added, his voice lined in the sternness that denoted his rank, "and that is to debrief me on Commander Markudas's evaluation of your love affairs."

Sousuke, who had taken in several spoonfuls of the basil and spiced rice, choked audibly, downing his entire glass of wine. Once he recovered, he looked fearfully at Kalinin, expecting the worst case scenario. As annoyed as he was about his teammate's uncanny interest in matters concerning the women in his life, Sousuke knew that the blonde had only his best interests at heart. It would hurt him horribly to watch the prankster lose rank or be dismissed from MITHRIL.

"Sergeant Weber is quite the swindler," Kalinin continued, slicing a moderate piece of filet mignon. He popped the tender meat into his mouth, savoring both its taste and his surrogate son's reaction. Of course, Andrei Kalinin was a merciful man. "Don't worry," he reassured, dapping his mouth with a white cloth. "Other than Sergeant Major Mao and myself, Command is unaware of Sergeant Weber's deception. Although I do wonder how the Sergeant attained such an accurate impersonation of the Commander," he added. He would definitely ask the blonde soldier later.

"Thank you, sir. I apologize for Kurtz's behavior and I do assume responsibilities for his actions. I know that he was acting solely for my benefit. But if I may ask, sir," he continued uneasily. Kalinin nodded, interested in what the young man had to say. "Concerning the issue addressed during 01700 on the 30th of September. Just why are all future requests for leave of absence denied?"

Kalinin trained his eyes on him, the wrinkles caused by the sudden increase of concentration strained his weathered face. "As you know, there are intelligence agencies around the world other than MITHRIL that has access to Black Technology. Countless organizations, whether rogue or country-affiliated, with a single purpose, Sousuke. It does not matter what their goals are, or what they are trying to accomplish. It all leads to the same path: Death. Destruction. Terror. As it stands, we know that Amalgam has further advanced the A.I. systems in their ArmSlaves with the Lambda Driver. In reality, MITHRIL is just trying to catch up with these organizations. We have multiple allies that support our cause, but we are the flagship of justice. Our allies look to us for strength. To protect the world from this evil, MITHRIL must not fail."

Sousuke looked down at his plate, feeling a sickly sensation in his stomach. Black Technology. Whispered. Even himself. Hundreds of thousands dying, and millions more suffering. They were all byproducts of war. His shoulders sagged dramatically as the weight of the world was once again weighing on his shoulders. He frowned, hoping his newfound connection with A.L. was, at least for the time being, enough to hold off the looming threat of Amalgam.

Noticing the sudden tension in the air, Kalinin gently pushed Sousuke's shoulder. Instantly, Sousuke felt the metaphorical load lighten. He looked up uncertainly. "Sir?"

And, to his utmost surprise, he heard a low rumbling laugh. His eyes widened. He must've heard wrong. Either his senses were failing him or the noise came from somewhere else. There was no way. It couldn't be…!

Kalinin grinned.

"Enough about business. There are more appropriate times to discuss such matters. How is your current status with Miss Kaname Chidori?"

Sousuke blushed.

"We are together, sir. We have been seeing each other exclusively for four months. I find that I have a lot to learn. At least, that is what Kaname has told me. On several occasions." He thought back at last week's mishap, which involved a homemade bento lunch, several wired explosives, a demolished row of shoe lockers, and an extremely irate and homicidal chainsaw-wielding custodian. He added, "She may be right."

Kalinin laughed whole-heartedly, which again startled Sousuke. He smiled sheepishly. He would need more time to adjust to this change in his surrogate father's demeanor. As the evening rolled along, Sousuke shared more stories that involved Kaname and himself. He found a high occurrence of explosions, gunfights, chaos, and in general, hysteria, in most of his anecdotes. He also tallied up the number of times he fell victim to physical punishment to the number of stories he'd regaled the old Russian with. They were equal. In turn, Kalinin offered some of his own past misadventures to make Sousuke feel less incompetent. It only succeeded in making the younger man feel even more uncomfortable.

"It seems to me," Kalinin started, taking another healthy swig of wine. They were already on their third bottle, and while the older man had a high tolerance level, he had enough to loosen his tongue. Sousuke was beet red in the face, having consumed three full glasses. "That you and Miss Kaname are getting along well."

"We are compatible, sir, yes," Sousuke responded, shaking off the unnatural feeling of a healthy buzz. He thought for a moment, allowing his mind to clear substantially as he formulated the right words in his mind. When it did, he wore a somber expression. "She is…special to me."

Kalinin stopped the tilt of his glass from his pursed lips. He held the glassware in the air for a moment, taking in the mood and remembering the reason he'd invited the young man in the first place, and placed the glass down. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it for a while. On the left groove of the device, where the digits and arrows were absent, was a picture of a young Russian couple. On the right was a young man with a traditional Russian Army cap. The collars on his shirt revealed a special insignia that signified his importance to the company. His face was fuller and more joyous, his eyes staring optimistically in the camera. On the left was an attractive young woman in her early twenties. She glowed radiantly. The bonnet atop her head held a small red rose, the delicate petals in full bloom. Kalinin looked, reminiscing about the promising future of the young couple and the love they equally shared. Sighing, he snapped the cover closed.

"We soldiers are all alike," Kalinin said, looking seriously at the brunette. "It is by choice that we join the company that we join. After that, it is by loyalty and submission that we perform the orders given by the company. In this sense, soldiers are nothing but tools to be used and tossed aside once rendered ineffective. This is the only trait that we share with men like Gauron." Sousuke stiffened at the sound of the name, but relaxed. "Love," Kalinin continued, his tone more hopeful than serious. "The love of a woman is what separates soldiers from men. Love is impulsive, innate. Men do not choose to love. Soldiers choose to kill. Remember this, Sousuke. Remember the woman you hold dear to your heart and you will see beyond the mist that dims your sight, find the answers to your questions, and realize unattainable dreams."

Kalinin brought out a black, velvet cushion and placed it upon the table. Sousuke looked at the object that was housed in the plush, luxurious padding. It was an object more magnificent than anything he'd ever seen. The flawless beauty of the stone, the meticulous metal finishes of the gold band, even the inscribed message on the band. What it read Sousuke could not determine, as it was not in a dialect he was familiar with. Kalinin picked up the ring and, running his fingers alongside the inscriptions, read: "For you are my everything."

Sousuke could only gape at the object as the Russian placed the stunning piece into his hands. He looked at his superior, then back at the flawless jewelry. Kalinin stood up, which prompted Sousuke up on his feet as well. His feet nailed to the group, he watched as the Lieutenant Commander walked around the table towards him. Once face to face, he felt the warmth of his father's torso as he enveloped the younger man with a grand, long deserved huge. At the feeling of the touch, Sousuke felt the weight completely lifted from his shoulders for once and collapsed into the older man's embrace. For what seemed like an eternity, Kalinin held the weak young man as if he were a small child. Once he felt life and strength return to him, the Russian pushed him back to arm's length.

Sousuke, finding strength in his legs again, stood there uncertainly, still holding the ring between his thumb and index finger.

"Miss Kaname is imperative to my life. To me, she is my _world_," Sousuke stated, after finding his voice again. He looked at the ring, and what it had meant to the old Russian soldier. "Thank you…sir." Kalinin, forcing back the sudden rumbling sensation in his chest, looked solemnly at his dumbfounded surrogate son. No, there was no need to include the title "surrogate." Sousuke Sagara was his son, as long as he would accept him, Andrei Kalinin, to be his father. He smiled at his speechless son, and patted him on the shoulders. "You truly do have the face of a man now, son."

Sousuke looked up from the ring, not sure if his ears were playing tricks on him. But one glance from the old soldier clarified his doubts. He nodded and, taking the hand that the Lieutenant Commander had extended, shook hands with his father.

"Now show her that you are hers."

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A/N: Review…please?


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